William Bell was a photographer from Philadelphia. He was employed in 1872 by the U.S. Geographical and Geological Explorations and Surveys West of the 100th Meridian, a United States Army survey team. Collection includes sixteen gold-toned albumen prints, printed from negatives made by William Bell on the Wheeler Expedition of 1872. Fourteen photographs are from Arizona, two from Utah. Primary subjects include landscapes of the Grand Canyon and Colorado River. Some of Bell's photographs from this expedition were used for prints in George M. Wheeler's (Washington: GPO, 1875-1889). In the field Bell prepared his own dry-plate negatives, a photographic process somewhat uncharacteristic for his time. he This process allowed him to store prepared plates longer than his contemporaries, who used wet plates, but would have also increased the exposure times for his plates. Report Upon United States Geographical Surveys West of the One Hundredth Meridian...
