WATKINS Yosemite Valley rich Mammoth Albumen 1866

WATKINS Yosemite Valley rich Mammoth Albumen 1866
CARLETON WATKINS Yosemite Valley From Mariposa Trail, 1865-66 Albumen print 15.5x20.6" ASG# CW/1948

This print is on an album page and was mounted back to back with another Watkins mammoth plate view that was removed

One of Watkins iconic photographs, this tonally extremely rich print captures the glory of Yosemite. In this view El Capitan is to the left of center, Bridalveil Falls is right, Cathedral rock is behind the falls.

Carleton Watkins (1829-1916) created balanced, dramatic compositions of the American wilderness that mark him as the most artistic and influential 19th century American landscape photographer. When he set out to photograph Yosemite in 1859, it was an unexplored wilderness that was only just beginning to attract a handful of artists and photographers willing to make the difficult journey. Watkins is best known for his mammoth plate views (approx.16x21") of Yosemite, and the Columbia River area in Oregon. his diverse subject matter included mining operations, lumber mills, grand houses and estates.

Yosemite would continue to be a touchstone for Watkins over the next twenty years. He went back in 1865 and again in 1866 as part of the California State Geological Survey. He returned again in 1872, 1875, 1878, and from 1879 to 1881.
Condition: Very Good. Rich tones 9 on a scale of 10, print has mild wear, a few small brown spots in the sky, on the original decorative mount 18.5x23" written in unknown hand "at the valley Yosemite", foxing and stains on mount