The Golden Gate
1868–69, 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
1986.1189.9
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the dramatic vista of *The Golden Gate* (1868–69, printed ca 1876), a albumen silver print by photographer Carleton E. Watkins Captured from a glass negative, this image showcases the rugged entrance to San Francisco Bay, with its sheer cliffs framing the churning Pacific waters. Watkins, a master of 19th-century landscape photography ventured across the American West during the Gold Rush, documenting natural wonders and burgeoning cities with unparalleled clarity. The albumen process, using egg whites to bind light-sensitive silver salts, produced the era's richest tonal range and ...
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 ...