First View of the Yosemite Valley from the Mariposa Trail
<p>In the 1860s, Carleton Watkins was the first to document the untouched wilderness that would become Yosemite National Park. Transporting his fragile equipment on mule or carriage through difficult terrain, Watkins used a "mammoth-plate" camera whose glass negatives measured up to 18 by 22 inches and yielded remarkably detailed prints of the same size. He favored spectacular compositions with dramatic spatial depth. In this photograph, Watkins depicted Yosemite Valley's immense span through the receding planes of mountains and the giant Sequoia trees that frame them. Watkins printed more than 1,100 mammoth-plate photographs over the course of his career. Unfortunately, the majority of his glass negatives and prints were destroyed in the San Francisco earthquake and fire of 1906.</p>
Catalogue
- Year
- 1865
- Medium
- Albumen print
- Dimensions
- Image/paper: 39.9 × 52.4 cm (15 3/4 × 20 11/16 in.); Mount: 47.4 × 61 cm (18 11/16 × 24 1/16 in.)
- Collection
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Artist
- Carleton Watkins
Artist
Photography
Carleton E. Watkins (1829–1916) was an American photographer of the 19th century. Born in New York, he moved to California and quickly became interested in photography. He focused mainly on landscape photography, and Yosemite Valley was a favorite subject of his. His photographs of the valley significantly influenced the United States Congress' decision to preserve it as a National Park.
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More by Carleton Watkins
Vine Hill from Magnetic Springs. Santa Cruz Co., Cal. , No. 5024 from the series "Watkins' New Series"
1878 · Albumen print, stereo
Lake Tahoe, from the Warm Springs, No. 4026 from the series "Watkins' New Series"
1878 · Albumen print, stereo
Piwyac, or the Vernal Fall, 300 feet from the cliff, Yosemite Valley, Mariposa County, Cal., No. 1081 from the series "Watkins' New Series"
1878 · Albumen print, stereo
Malakoff Diggings, North Bloomfield Gravel Mining Co., Nevada County, No. 1820 from the series "Watkins' Pacific Coast"
1871 · Albumen print, stereo
Pohono, or the Bridal Veil, 900 feet, Yosemite Valley, Mariposa County, Cal., No. 1075 from the series "Watkins' Pacific Coast"
1867 · Albumen print, stereo
Steambath, Geysers, Napa County, California, No. 1581 from the series "Watkins' Pacific Coast"
1867 · Albumen print, stereo
Record
Verified by WattsOS- Artist
- Carleton Watkins
- Year
- 1865
- Medium
- Albumen print
- Dimensions
- Image/paper: 39.9 × 52.4 cm (15 3/4 × 20 11/16 in.); Mount: 47.4 × 61 cm (18 11/16 × 24 1/16 in.)
- Watts ID
- WW-1865-097710
Source
- Collection
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Source
- aic
- Reference
- View at source
- Status
- verified