Ansel Adams Captures the National Parks

In 1941 Ansel Adams was asked by the National Park Service to create a photo mural displaying nature in the United States through the glory of the National Parks. The mural was going to be for the Department of the Interior Building in Washington, D.C., but sadly it was halted and never resumed due to World War II. 226 photographs were taken, though, and exist today as part of the National Archives. Ansel's work as a photographer is widely known to be exemplary, and having this talent on the side of the National Park Service was beneficial to their efforts to protect land. For example, Ansel's photographs of nearby King's Canyon were taken in 1936 when the establishment of the park was being proposed. His artistic vision and imagistic evidence of the area's pure beauty greatly helped to spark support for the decision to certify King's Canyon as a National Park. Adams was also notably an important part of the Sierra Club, and his position as their official photographer helped him fuse his creative gifts with the more political aims of environmental conservation.

Big Bird Peak, Deadman Canyon, Kings Canyon National Park