Carleton E. Watkins: California Views

Largely made as commissioned projects, Watkins’s large-scale photographs document the complex making of the 49th state, spanning pristine nature, historic Spanish missions, emerging metropolises, and private estates.

Ninteteenth century photograph of two tall trees in front of a smaller forest of trees in the background

Ninteteenth century photograph of a cluster of buildings receding diagonally towards a hill in the background

Ninteteenth century photograph of deer standing in the shade of a grove of trees

Ninteteenth century photograph of lightly forested fields with the Pacific Ocean in the background

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Carleton E. Watkins: California Views

Carleton E. WatkinsThe Sentinels, Calaveras 21

ca. 1864

mammoth-plate albumen print, 29-7/8 x 21-1/4 inches (mount) [75.9 x 53.7 cm]

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Carleton E. WatkinsMission Dolores, San Francisco

ca. 1860

large format albumen print, 17-3/4 x 28 inches (mount) [45.1 x 71.1 cm]

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Carleton E. WatkinsThe Deer Park, Menlo Park, California

ca. 1874

mammoth-plate albumen print, 19 x 23-1/4 inches (mount) [48.3 x 59.1 cm]

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Carleton E. WatkinsCity of Mendocino

1863

mammoth plate albumen print, 21-5/8 x 26-3/4 inches (mount) [54.9 x 68 cm]

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Related Portfolios

Ninteteenth century photograph of cliffs and a waterfall, with water in the foreground reflecting the landscape

Carleton E. Watkins: Yosemite Views

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Carleton E. Watkins: Yosemite Views

Measuring approximately 15 x 20 inches, Watkins’s large format albumen prints were among the largest photographs of their time. His masterful compositions of sweeping vistas and majestic waterfalls inspired land preservation efforts in the western U.S., including the creation of the National Park System.

Ninteteenth century photograph of a river in the foreground with a sheer rock cliff face in the distance — Carleton E. Watkins, El Capitan, 1861

mammoth plate albumen print, 21-1/2 x 27-3/8 inches (mount) [54.6 x 69.5 cm]

Ninteteenth century photograph of a trail through trees with a distant waterfall in the background — Carleton E. Watkins, On the Road to Yosemite Falls, 2674 ft., ca. 1878

mammoth-plate albumen print, 22 x 17 inches (mount) [55.9 x 45.7 cm]

Ninteteenth century photograph of a waterfall between stone cliffsides — Carleton E. Watkins, Upper Yosemite Falls, View from Eagle Point Trail, Yosemite, 1878-81

mammoth plate albumen print, 25-5/8 x 19-3/4 inches (mount) [65.1 x 50.2 cm]

Ninteteenth century photograph of a large waterfall, coming off a cliff — Carleton E. Watkins, Piwyac, Vernal Fall, 350 ft. [Yo-Semite Valley, Cal. No. 44], ca. 1864-66

mammoth plate albumen print, 27-1/2 x 21-1/2 inches (mount) [69.9 x 54.6 cm]

Carleton E. WatkinsYosemite Falls

1865-66

mammoth plate albumen print, 28-1/8 x 22-1/4 inches (mount) [71.4 x 56.5 cm]

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Carleton E. WatkinsEl Capitan

1861

mammoth plate albumen print, 21-1/2 x 27-3/8 inches (mount) [54.6 x 69.5 cm]

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Carleton E. WatkinsOn the Road to Yosemite Falls, 2674 ft.

ca. 1878

mammoth-plate albumen print, 22 x 17 inches (mount) [55.9 x 45.7 cm]

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Carleton E. WatkinsUpper Yosemite Falls, View from Eagle Point Trail, Yosemite

1878-81

mammoth plate albumen print, 25-5/8 x 19-3/4 inches (mount) [65.1 x 50.2 cm]

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Carleton E. WatkinsPiwyac, Vernal Fall, 350 ft. [Yo-Semite Valley, Cal. No. 44]

ca. 1864-66

mammoth plate albumen print, 27-1/2 x 21-1/2 inches (mount) [69.9 x 54.6 cm]

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Ninteteenth century photograph of a sheer cliff side at the edge of a river

Carleton E. Watkins: Oregon Views

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Carleton E. Watkins: Oregon Views

Watkins’s photographs offer some of the earliest depictions of American settlements and the burgeoning industrialization of the mid-Columbia River to the Pacific Coast. Made on 15 x 20 inch glass plates painstakingly coated and developed on site, the photographs required transporting a cumbersome tent, glass plates, and chemicals.