Elwin Roswell Sanborn (1869 – December 19, 1947) was the New York Zoological Society’s first official photographer, taking the position in 1899, not long after the Zoo’s opening (?) (NYT OBIT). Born in Dunkirk, NY, he studied art at the Art Students League (NYT OBIT). In addition to being a renowned photographer, he was a well-respected illustrator praised for his illustrations of animals in the wild (NYT OBIT).
As the NYZS’s photographer, Sanborn created new techniques and even photographic equipment for capturing the animals (NYT OBIT). Much of his time was spent outside of the Zoo, taking photographs in the wild in places like the American West, Pelican Island, Florida, the Galapagos Islands, and, of course, in the Canadian Rockies with the McAleenan hunting party (NYT OBIT).
https://blog.wcs.org/photo/2015/06/25/the-first-photographer-bronx-zoo-tbt/
New York Zoological Society booklet
“Sanborn laid the foundation of the WCS photo collection with 14,216 negatives of his subjects including mammals, birds, reptiles, and fish as well as the park’s buildings and scenes, and his expeditions” (blog).
