[Geysers] Early YNP engravers

[TSBryan at aol.com]

This will probably be my last posting about this matter -- the engravers,  in 
this case, not the engravings themselves. I've been doing considerable  
searching both online and at the Ranco Mirage Public Library, which has an  
excellent art history section in reserve. Others asked that I pass along  anything I 
learn, so here it is...
 
The guy who did the illustration of the huge Crested Pool with Castle  
Geyser's cone in the background is still an unknown -- not a hint of the name  "T. 
Hildebrand" in anything. Should anybody find anything, somewhere...  please.
 
The guy who did the exaggerated Grotto Geyser (which he called "The Cave  
Geyser"), an illustration that with essentially no modifications appeared in a  
number of later works, was Edouard Riou (1838-1900). In his time, Riou was  
extremely famous, and he was the illustrator of the first editions of such works  
as Jules Verne's _20,000 Leagues Under the Sea_, _Around the World in 80 
Days_,  _Journey to the Center of the Earth_, and more. And he did extensive  
travel-based art. The Yellowstone engravings probably -- only probably --  
appeared in an edition of the French journal _Le Monde Illustre_ (which went  through 
hundreds of issues and might(?) still exist); I note, however, that my  
initial online source for this image (which was being sold on E-bay) cited it as  
coming from a "French travel publication" that was not named. Anyhow, so Riou 
is  pretty well pinned down.
 
Last is the image that shows a little tiny man running away from an  erupting 
Giant Geyser, waving his arms -- is he running in fright or trying to  
attract the attention of others? It was done by one Harry Fenn. There is  curiosity 
here. The image appeared in _Picturesque America, or the Land We Live  In_, 
which is listed under the name of William Cullen Bryant. However, according  to 
_Who Was Who in American Art_ (which I managed to find an old edition  of) 
_Picturesque America..._ was Fenn's and served as America's "first  ever gift 
book." So maybe Bryant was just the editor -- possible, since he was a  newspaper 
man by primary profession. Anyhow... Fenn was born in England in 1845,  first 
came to the USA in 1864, spent about 6 years here, returned briefly to  
Italy, came back in 1870 and worked on the images for _Picturesque America_. and  
etc. etc. back to Europe, similar books over there, art featured at the  
Columbian Exposition (Chicago, 1893), stayed in the USA until he died on this  
year's YNP opening date, April 21, 1911.
 
Searching Google for Bryant and the publication name, I found a  
good-resolution version of the color original of the Giant image -- wider than  what I 
posted the other day, it includes Oblong's steam cloud in the background  right.
 
OK, so I lack (and sure would like to have) any info about T.  Hildebrand.
 
Scott Bryan
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