WATKINS Mammoth View Cathedral Spires 1866

WATKINS Mammoth View Cathedral Spires 1866
CARLETON WATKINS Cathedral Spires, 2200 Ft. Yosemite, 1865-66 Albumen Print 20.3x15.3" ASG# CW/1958. The print was found loose and unmounted and is mounted on a rag board.

Cathedral Spires, Yosemite National Park, California, rise from the valley in an awe-inspiring view. Here Watkins has captured the intimate nature of the grand rock formation rising from the valley, river and trees.

This print was lost by Watkins to J. J. Cook in 1875 as the back of the print has:
back of print rubber stamp:
JJ Cook, Succ'r
to C.E. Watkins
26 Montgomery St., SF
pencilCathedral Spires Yosemite No. 22

Carleton Watkins the Complete Mammoth Plates, Naef and Hult-Lewis 2013 J. Paul Getty Museum Plate 166 (CEW 22) page 76

Carleton Watkins (1829-1916) created balanced, dramatic compositions of the American wilderness that mark him as the most artistic and influential19th 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. 16 x 21") 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. In 1871 he moved his San Francisco studio called "Yosemite Art Gallery" to 22-26 Montgomery Street, a popular destination for tourists. During the financial crisis of 1875 he lost his studio and all his negatives to a swindler named J.J. Cook who took over Watkins's gallery along with photographer I.W. Taber.

Emily Neff in The Modern West p. 36 calls his views an "allegory of American Space" in which open land simply awaits settlement...a pastoral vision of perfect harmony.". Watkins was a photographers' photographer being sought out for the secrets of his technical mastery, much as Edward Weston and Ansel Adams were in the 20th Century.
Condition: Very Good. Overall rich tones, moderate wear