Famous Photographs in the Archive

This archive is built around William Henry Jackson's photographs of the American West, and it also includes 220 photographs that Ansel Adams made for the Department of the Interior's Mural Project in 1941 and 1942. Those prints are held by the National Archives and, as federal records, are in the public domain.

This page tells the stories behind famous photographs in the archive. So far it covers one: Adams's The Tetons and the Snake River, the Mural Project photograph that became one of the best-known images of Grand Teton National Park and one of the pictures chosen for the Voyager Golden Record. More pages will be added over time.

  1. "The Tetons - Snake River," Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, 1941

    The Tetons and the Snake River (1942)

    The Snake River curves through the valley below the Teton Range in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming. Ansel Adams made the photograph in 1942 for the Department of the Interior's Mural Project, and the original print is held by the National Archives. Because it was made for the federal government, it is in the public domain.

    The story behind it →