Rooster Rock, Columbia River, No. 1228 from the series "Watkins' Pacific Coast"

Art Historical Context

Step into the dramatic landscapes of the American West with *Rooster Rock, Columbia River, No.1228* from Carleton Watkins' pioneering series *"Watkins' Pacific Coast (1867). Carleton Watkins, a masterful 19th-century photographer ventured across California's rugged terrain and the Pacific Northwest, capturing the sublime beauty of untouched wilderness during a time of rapid westward expansion. This image showcases the towering basalt formation of Rooster Rock along the majestic Columbia River, a natural landmark that symbolized the untamed power of America's frontier. Crafted as an albumen st...

About the Artist

Carleton Watkins · 1829–1916

Carleton Watkins (1829–1916) was an American photographer whose majestic landscape photographs of the American West, particularly of Yosemite Valley, rank among the most important images in the history of photography. Born in Oneonta, New York, he moved to California during the Gold Rush era and learned photography in San Francisco in the late 1850s. In 1861, Watkins made his first trip to Yosemi...