[Yosemite National Park, California]

Art Historical Context

Step into the awe-inspiring vistas of Yosemite National Park with circa 1878 albumen print by Carleton E. Watkins, a pioneering photographer of the American West.uring the park's dramatic landscapes and flowing rivers, this intimate 12.5 x 12.5 cm circular image evokes the sublime beauty that captivated 19th-century audiences. Watkins, often called the "artist of the Yosemite," hauled massive cameras and glass plates into remote wilderness to document these scenes, transforming photography into a tool for exploration and preservation. The albumen silver print, made from a glass negative, exem...

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 ...