Frank Jay Haynes (1853-1921), Excelsior Geyser

Frank Jay Haynes (1853-1921)Excelsior GeyserYELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARKNumber 22 penciled lower left-hand cornerFine albumen print, mounted on archival mattePhotograph size: 5 x 8 in.Matte board size: 11 x14 in.   Provenance: from the library of William E. Hofman, his sale Christie's 3rd December, 2010, lot 343A magnificent view of the crater of celebrated Excelsior Geyser in Yellowstone National Park, by official Yellowstone Park photographer Frank Jay Haynes. "Excelsior was once the largest geyser In the world. However, the last known major eruptions occurred during the 1880s, when there were numerous eruptions up to 300 feet. The violent eruptions of the 1880s may have caused damage to the siliceous sinter lining, allowing gas leakage and the loss of thermal energy. No observed eruptions were known until 1985 when it erupted for two days. However, it only obtained a height of 20-80 feet. Since its eruptive activity in the 1880s, Excelsior is now a productive thermal spring, presently