The Domes, Yosemite
ca. 1872, printed ca. 1876
Medium
Albumen silver print from glass negative
Classification
Photographs
Department
Photographs
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Carole and Irwin Lainoff, Ruth P. Lasser and Joseph R. Lasser, Mr. and Mrs. John T. Marvin, Martin E. and Joan Messinger, Richard L. Yett and Sheri and Paul Siegel, 1986
Accession Number
1986.1189.25
Tags
Art Historical Context
**The Domes, Yosemite** captures the majestic granite domes of Yosemite Valley in a stunning albumen silver print a glass negative, created by photographer Carleton E. Watkins 1872 and printed 1876. Watkins, one of the first artists to document the American West's natural wonders, hauled massive cameras and glass plates into remote wilderness to produce these expansive views, showcasing Yosemite's towering rock formations against a dramatic sky. This photograph exemplifies 19th-century landscape photography its peak, with the albumen process yielding rich tonal depth and intricate detail that...
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 ...