James E. (Jim) Thompson (1880-1976) was a noted photographer, hiker, and outdoor enthusiast who played a major role in promoting a national park in the Southern Appalachians. In the 1920s, up to the park's dedication in 1940, Thompson was often referred to as the "Official Photographer of the Great Smokies National Park Movement." His work was reproduced in brochures and reports promoting the idea of a park and many of his photographs depict the landscape before park construction. Several of Thompson's photographs, which illustrate locations in today's Great Smoky Mountains National Park, were reproduced and captioned for distribution