Dave Usher will present a slide presentation and talk on the life and work of William Henry Jackson on Thursday, April 8, 2010 at 7:00 p.m. Jackson spent part of his childhood in Rutland, Vermont, before he left to photograph the fantastic landscape of the of the American west. Many people in the East did not even believe the descriptions of western landmarks circulating at the time. Jackson's photographs include images of native peoples, gold mining, railroads, Mesa Verde and Yellowstone. It was Jackson's photographs of Yellowstone that helped convince the U.S. Congress to make it the first National Park in March 1872.

Jackson took about 80,000 photographs of the American West when point and shoot cameras did not exist. He used large format cameras and had to bring a darkroom with him to process the film immediately. Jackson died in 1942 at the age of 99. He has been honored during his lifetime and after
as one of the great American photographers.

The Vermont Center for Photography is located at 49 Flat Street in Brattleboro, Vermont (next to Flat Street parking garage steps).

Usher's talk is free and open to the public. For information, please call VCP at 802-251-6051 or visit the website at www.vcphoto.org.