The Domes from Sentinel Dome
Medium
Albumen silver print from glass negative
Dimensions
Image: 41.7 x 52.3 cm (16 7/16 x 20 9/16 in.) Mount: 55.5 x 69.1 cm (21 7/8 x 27 3/16 in.)
Classification
Photographs
Department
Photographs
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gilman Collection, Purchase, The Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation Gift, through Joyce and Robert Menschel, 2005
Accession Number
2005.100.1181
Art Historical Context
Step into the majestic world of Yosemite Valley through *The Domes from Sentinel Dome a stunning 1866 albumen print by pioneering photographer Carleton E. Watkins Captured from a lofty vantage point, this image showcases the valley's iconic granite domes—smooth, rounded formations sculpted by ancient glaciers—bathed in dramatic light that highlights their monumental scale and natural grandeur. Watkins, a master of 19th-century landscape photography ventured into California's Sierra Nevada during an era of rapid westward expansion, documenting the untamed beauty that captivated the nation. The...
About the Artist
Carleton E. Watkins · 1829–1916
Carleton E. Watkins (1829–1916), one of America's pioneering landscape photographers, was born on November 11, 1829, in Oneonta, New York, the eldest of eight children to carpenter John Watkins and innkeeper Julia. Drawn by the Gold Rush, he arrived in San Francisco in 1851 at age 22 alongside childhood friend Collis Huntington, who later became a railroad tycoon. Initially working as a carpenter ...