Editorial comment on this plate:

The photo-gravure presented this week is from a negative of a remarkable subject, by Mr. Frederick H. Chapin, of Hartford, Conn. Mr. Chapin is a great traveller as well as a skillful and artistic photographer, and will be remembered by the readers of The Photographic Times for his excellent view of “A Colorado Cañon,” which was reproduced in these columns some months ago. Mr. Chapin’s latest trip was in the direction of the south-western part of this country, and there he made a thorough investigation of the remarkable cliff ruins in that country; photographing as he went. In the article which follows, the subject is fully described. Our photo-gravure reproduces the original subject in a manner highly satisfactory to Mr. Chapin.

Constructed “primarily out of sandstone, mortar and wooden beams,” Cliff Palace is the largest cliff dwelling in what is now Mesa Verde National Park in Southwestern Colorado. Built by Ancient Pueblo Peoples, the structure is believed to have last been inhabited in the late 13th century. This view of Cliff Palace by Chapin is believed to be one of the earliest ever taken of the site.