$1,763
Carleton Eugene Watkins (American, 1829-1916) Cathedral Rocks and Spires, 2,678 Feet, Yosemite, California Signed "C. E. Watkins-" on the mount l.r., a label from Williams & Everett, Boston, affixed to the reverse. Albumen print on paper mounted onto board, 15 3/4 x 20 3/4 in. (40.0 x 52.7 cm), in a period frame. Condition: Staining, discoloration. N.B. Carleton Watkins is best known for his photographs of the California landscape. He first left his native New York around 1850 to head west at the time of the California Gold Rush. He settled in San Francisco, where he was introduced to photography by daguerreotypist, Robert Vance. Watkins soon began taking photographs of the California region, in particular Yosemite and the Mariposa Valley. His images of the Yosemite Valley highlighted the sublime beauty of the region and played an integral role in the enactment of the Yosemite Bill by Abraham Lincoln (which would protect the land from development).
Auctioneer:
Skinner
Date:
2007-09-07
