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Carleton E. Watkins , (Nov 11, 1829–Jun 23, 1916)

The Domes from Yosemite Valley

1865-1866
15 3/8 in. x 20 in. (39.05 cm x 50.8 cm)

Medium and Support: Mammoth-plate albumen print

Credit Line: Museum purchase

Accession Number: 1983.21

Commentary

Although best known for his images of unspoiled Yosemite Valley landscapes, Carleton Watkins also photographed industrial sites like the North Bloomfield Gravel Mines in Nevada County, California. While the two types of picture may seem antithetical, they share a goal—to redefine the wilds as an accessible and bountiful paradise. In Distant Views of the Domes, Watkins presents raw nature as a classically ordered landscape with limpid still waters in the foreground of a wide and welcoming vista that gently yields to distant and majestic mountains. Highlighting the natural beauty of the area, his serene images assured potential tourists of its accessibility and safety. Similarly, his photographs of mines showed industry and nature in harmony, highlighting opportunity and confirming the power of engineering to harness the region’s resources for the benefit of potential investors. Taken together these views present a seamless blend of wilderness and civilization, nature and industry, art and profit.

Exhibition List

This object was included in the following exhibitions:

American Photography from the Permanent Collection in Celebration of the 50th An Addison Gallery of American Art , 10/13/1989 - 12/18/1989
Point of View: Landscapes from the Addison Collection Addison Gallery of American Art , 10/16/1992 - 12/20/1992
Laying Claim: Nineteenth Century Views of the American West Addison Gallery of American Art , 3/25/2005 - 5/20/2005
In Focus: 75 Years of Collecting American Photography Addison Gallery of American Art , 4/28/2006 - 7/31/2006
Contemplating the View: American Landscape Photographs Addison Gallery of American Art , 9/8/2018 - 3/3/2019
An Incomplete History of Photography: 1860s to 1960s Addison Gallery of American Art , 10/16/2020 - 2/21/2021

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