Theodore Roosevelt: President, Outdoorsman

President Roosevelt and Major Pitcher before Liberty Cap - a long extinct geyser at Yellowstone Park

President Roosevelt and Major Pitcher before Liberty Cap at Yellowstone Park. Stereograph copyrighted by Underwood & Underwood, 1903. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/stereo.1s02130

The anniversary of Earth Day this past weekend (coupled with some gorgeous spring days!) has me thinking about being outdoors more. From there my mind jumps to ideal places to explore, bringing national parks to the surface in my daydreams. Finally, the thought of national parks reminds me that Prints & Photographs has been adding quite a lot of digital stereographs to the Prints & Photographs Online Catalog featuring outdoorsman Theodore Roosevelt’s presidency, including his 1903 tour of the American West with stops in Yellowstone and Yosemite.

Today, I highlight one stereograph from each of these majestic places. First, there is President Roosevelt and Yellowstone Park Superintendent Major Pitcher on horseback stopping for a photograph in front of the Liberty Cap, an extinct geyser. Second, below, Roosevelt is described by Underwood & Underwood as partaking of his "choicest recreation – amid nature’s rugged grandeur on Glacier Point, Yosemite."

President Roosevelt's choicest recreation - amid nature's rugged grandeur on Glacier Point, Yosemite

President Roosevelt on Glacier Point, Yosemite. Stereograph copyrighted by Underwood & Underwood, 1903. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/stereo.1s02031

Learn More:

  • View some stereographs of Roosevelt’s trip to Yellowstone and his visit to California, including stops to see giant sequoias.
  • If seeing these images only whets your appetite for more of President Theodore Roosevelt, there are over 500 stereographs featuring this turn-of-the-twentieth-century president. Of course, you need not be limited to just stereographs as there are more than 1400 images associated with the robust Mr. Roosevelt in the Prints & Photographs Online Catalog.

A Gardening Gold Mine

The following is a guest post by Helena Zinkham, Chief, Prints & Photographs Division. When house and garden historian Sam Watters first learned about Frances B. Johnston’s color garden photos from the early 1900s, he e-mailed us right away. An appointment was soon arranged to show him these fascinating but uncataloged “magic lantern slides.” We …

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