First published 2025
William Henry Jackson pointed his camera at the untamed American West when few had ventured there with photographic equipment. His images captured landscapes that would inspire a nation's westward expansion and influence future artists like Ansel Adams. Jackson's photographs played a crucial role in establishing Yellowstone as America's first National Park. Bill Griffith, the cartoonist behind Zippy the Pinhead, tells this story through his distinctive graphic biography approach. Griffith draws from family letters, diaries, and extensive archives at the New York Public Library and Library of Congress, plus more than 25 books about Jackson's work. The author presents a personal exploration of his ancestor's life and artistic legacy. This illustrated biography examines how photography shaped American perception of the West while using the graphic novel format to tell the story of a visual medium.
Genres: biography, graphic-novels, photography, 19th-century, art-history, american-history
Vibes: educational, inspirational, intimate, thought-provoking, visually-rich
Tropes: ancestor-story, artistic-legacy, historical-documentation
Setting: American West, Yellowstone, New York Public Library, Library of Congress
Period: 19th century
288 pages · Hardcover · Harry N. Abrams