In 1851, when he was twenty-one, Watkins left Oneonta, New York, for California, following the example of Collis P. Huntington, another Oneonta native who had moved to California to make his fortune. His impact on the evolution of photographic methods in Oregon and across the nation was substantial. We provide art lovers and art collectors with one of the best places on the planet to discover modern and contemporary art. Biography: 19th-century Landscape photographer Carleton E. Watkins. Watkins was the focus of the gallery’s first exhibition in September 1979, and the present project marks the beginning of a season-long celebration of Fraenkel Gallery’s fortieth year. Carleton Watkins (U.S.A., 1829-1916) Magenta Flume Nevada Co. Cal. CARLETON WATKINS: Photographer of the American West By Bill Dobbins www.billdobbinsphotography.com In the 19th century, as more of the western part of the United States was being explored, it was hard for some people to take seriously the descriptions they heard of places like Yosemite, Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon. Famed photographer Carleton E. Watkins spent time in the Columbia River Gorge taking photographs of Oregon's unique landscape in 1867 and again from 1882-1885. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). "Carleton Watkins is a treasure of a book, which hopefully will bring more attention to this particular photographer’s work and achievement.With its numerous illustrations of photographs discussed by the author, in all likelihood a reader will come away with a deep sense of appreciation of both the artist in question but also his biographer." Mail Following the loss of his entire studio in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire, Watkins became ill and destitute, and in 1910 he was committed to a hospital for the insane. Carleton E. Watkins By Unknown 1829-1916 Famed photographer Carleton E. Watkins spent time in the Columbia River Gorge taking photographs of Oregon's unique landscape in 1867 and again from 1882-1885. In July of 1861 Watkins traveled to Yosemite equipped with a mammoth-plate camera, which used 18 by 22 inch glass plate negatives, and a stereoscopic camera. After a brief apprenticeship in a portrait photography gallery, he was in business for himself by 1861. Unlike most studio owners, however, Watkins gave up the financial security of gallery portraiture for … CARLETON WATKINS: Photographer of the American West By Bill Dobbins www.billdobbinsphotography.com In the 19th century, as more of the western part of the United States was being explored, it was hard for some people to take seriously the descriptions they heard of places like Yosemite, Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon. His images were large and clear, and he seemed able almost always to select the spot which, in his words, “would give the best view.” His association with members of the California intellectual and artistic elite, among them John C. and Jesse Frémont, Thomas Starr King, William Keith, and Josiah Dwight Whitney helped transform him from a competent craftsman into a photographer of great artistry. During his youth he became acquainted with Collis P. Huntington, who frequented his father’s hotel. Omissions? If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Episode No. …photographed the American West—most notably, Carleton Watkins—by his concern for the transient and ephemeral. The Huntington owns more than 1,000 Watkins photographs. Carleton Watkins was born in New York as the oldest of eight children. He became popular for the large-scale landscape photographs of the American West, in particular, those of Yosemite, San Francisco, the Pacific coast, Mendocino, the Sierra Nevada mining regions, and the paysages of … Carleton E. Watkins was born in New York in 1829, and moved to San Francisco around the beginning of the Gold Rush in 1851/2. 1829, Oneonta, New York 1916, Imola, California. Biography. The walls were lined with 18 x 22-inch prints in black walnut frames with gilt-edged mats. “Carleton E. Watkins, Pioneer Photographer of the Pacific Coast,” Yosemite Nature Notes 32(4):32-37 (April 1953) by Ralph H. Anderson [PDF] Carleton Watkins: The Art of Perception. c. 1871, Carleton Watkins (U.S.A., 1829-1916) Flour and Woolen Mills, Oregon City 1867, Carleton Watkins (U.S.A., 1829-1916) Cape Horn, Columbia River 1867, Carleton Watkins (U.S.A., 1829-1916) Mt. These were later replaced with orange card stock and printed labels. Carleton Watkins (1829-1916), the creator of the striking photographs of the remote Yosemite Valley that so inspired the New York Times critic, had moved to California around 1851 from the small New York town of Oneonta. Two years later, Watkins found work in Robert H. Vance’s photographic portrait gallery in San Jose, where he became proficient in making daguerreotypes. Between 1852 and 1854 Watkins worked as the “outdoor man” or camera operator for several established photographers including Robert Vance who had a gallery at the corner of Sacramento and Montgomery Streets, near George Murray’s Bookstore where Watkins worked as a clerk.1 Watkins said to biographer Charles Turrell around 1900 “My first paper photograph was a view over Portsmounth Square”. These seemed like … Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. Carleton E. Watkins was born in New York in 1829, and moved to San Francisco around the beginning of the Gold Rush in 1851/2. Includes a timeline. Carleton Watkins is known for Civil War and western landscape photography. Carleton Watkins was an American 19th-century photographer, renowned for his striking landscape photographs of Yosemite National Park. One might say that Watkins photographed the geology of the place, while Adams photographed the weather. Sources: Ansel Adams: A Biography, Mary Street Alinder, page 31-32, Henry Holt and Company, New York, 1996; carletonwatkins.com; J. Paul Getty Museum, “Carleton Watkins” Watkins is best known for his photographs of pristine landscapes, but he was equally adept at capturing industrial subjects. This acute attention to the specifics of the physical world was also the root of his intense appreciation of the…. Many of them were used to illustrate Whitney’s The Yosemite Book (1868). Carleton Watkins (1829–1916) was an American photographer of the 19th century. Carleton Watkins (1829–1916) was an American photographer of the 19th century. This page features a nice selection of books about the life and work of Carleton Watkins on Amazon, including The Stanford Albums. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. Carleton Watkins (1829-1916), the creator of the striking photographs of the remote Yosemite Valley that so inspired the New York Times critic, had moved to California around 1851 from the small New York town of Oneonta. Carleton E. Watkins, Photographs of American scenery. The prints helped influence the U.S. Congress to pass legislation protecting Yosemite Valley. 364 of The Modern Art Notes Podcast features historian and curator Eleanor Harvey and author Tyler Green.. Tyler Green is the author of “Carleton Watkins: Making the West American,” a new biography-ish of the most influential American artist of the nineteenth century, and that century’s greatest photographer too. Learn more about Carleton Watkins (American, 1829 - 1916). Born in Oneonta, New York, he left for California in 1851 at the age of twenty-two. Lured by the opportunities of the California gold rush, he traveled to California with fellow Oneontan Collis Huntington (later to become one of the “Big Four” owners of the Central Pacific Railroad). Watkins numbered his stereoviews starting first with the Yosemite series (Mendocino views were initially numbered as a separate series and were later renumbered as part of thegeneral numbering scheme). Carleton Emmons Watkins was an American photographer, known for his western photographs of early San Francisco, Yosemite, Mendocino and the Sierra Nevada mining regions. Because of these photographs Mount Watkins in Yosemite was named in his honour (1865). Collection of The Society of California Pioneers. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. These photographs and later Yosemite images, established him as a master of landscape photography. Carleton Watkins was born in Oneonta, New York on November 11, 1829, the eldest of eight children. He his best known for his pictures of … The owner taught Watkins photography basics. Social. Carleton E. Watkins came to California around 1851 from the small New York town of Oneonta, one of a hundred thousand hopeful young men migrating west that year in search of Gold Rush fortune. Carleton Watkins will be on view from September 5 to October 19, 2019, concurrent with Another West, curated by Richard Misrach. He became interested in landscape photography and … The owner taught Watkins photography basics. Books about Carleton Watkins. (National Gallery of Art) Carleton E. Watkins short biography and museum photographs (Getty Museum) Watkins issued his early stereoviews on glass mounts and on card mounts with handwritten titles. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Stacking alfalfa during a harvest on the Stockdale Ranch, 1890. In 1909 when Sir John Williams donated his collection to the National Library of Wales, among the treasures was a large bound album of photographs of scenes in western America and its accompanying list of contents. He worked odd jobs in the city until he found work looking after a photography studio. His first significant landscape project involved making large-format (21 × 18 inch [roughly 53 × 46 cm]) images of Yosemite Valley. Examples of Watkins glass views can be seen here. Watkins was employed by Huntington in Sacramento deliverying supplies to the mining operations. He returned with 30 mammoth plate and dozens of stereoscopic negatives (see stereographs numbered 1 through 100). Carleton Watkins is known for Civil War and western landscape photography. Carleton Watkins was born in Oneonta, New York on November 11, 1829, the eldest of eight children. His impact on the evolution of photographic methods in Oregon and across the nation was substantial. Carleton E. Watkins 1829-1916. Carleton E. Watkins, in full Carleton Emmons Watkins or Carleton Eugene Watkins, (born Nov. 11, 1829, Oneonta, N.Y., U.S.—died June 23, 1916, Imola, Calif.), American photographer best known for his artistic documentation of the landscape of the American West. He worked odd jobs in the city until he found work looking after a photography studio. His impact on the evolution of photographic methods in Oregon and across the nation was substantial. He became an avid hunter and fisherman and was a member of a local glee … Carleton Watkins was born in Oneonta, New York on November 11, … This page was last edited on 29 January 2021, at 12:14 (UTC). Carleton Watkins was an American 19th-century photographer, renowned for his striking landscape photographs of Yosemite National Park. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Carleton-E-Watkins, The J. Paul Getty Museum - Carleton Watkins. We provide art lovers and art collectors with one of the best places on the planet to discover modern and contemporary art. Carleton Watkins – Biography Carleton E. Watkins was born in Oneonta, Oswego county, New York, on November 11, 1829. El Capitan in Yosemite Valley, east-central California, U.S.; photograph by Carleton E. Watkins. Carleton Watkins (American, 1829-1916) was one of the most highly acclaimed of early western photographers, yet Watkins's work has never been fully cataloged. He produced photographs for evidence in courts of law and also documented the mining estate of John Fremont and his wife Jessie Benton Fremont in Mariposa County and their estate at Black Point. By 1863 Watkins was selling stereoviews of Yosemite, the New Almaden mining region, the Mendocino coast as well as views of San Francisco. Few landscape photographers gained such national acclaim as Carleton Watkins. Services . Famed photographer Carleton E. Watkins spent time in the Columbia River Gorge taking photographs of Oregon's unique landscape in 1867 and again from 1882-1885. Navigate; Linked Data; Dashboard; Tools / Extras; Stats; Share . While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. One of many young men drawn to the West during the Gold Rush, he first worked in Sacramento as a teamster and carpenter for a dry goods establishment. Carleton E. Watkins (1829 - 1916) was active/lived in New York, California. Watkins moved to California early in his life, living in San Francisco. Read the artist bio and gain a deeper understanding with MutualArt's artist profile. Carleton E. Watkins (1829 – 1916) was a noted 19th-century California photographer. After the great Sacramento city fire of November 2-3, 1852 he set out on his own to be a professional photographer. Reference: NLW Photograph Album 542. Classification. Carleton E. Watkins (1829 - 1916) was active/lived in New York, California. Carleton Watkins was born in New York as the oldest of eight children. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. From the age of twenty-five he was taken on as an apprentice in a portrait studio. Boston University Libraries. Lured by the opportunities of the California gold rush, he traveled to California with fellow Oneontan Collis Huntington (later to become one of the "Big Four" owners of … He was the youngest of five children of a Scottish innkeeper. Soon after the discovery of gold, both young men went… The consummate photographer of the American West, Carleton Watkins (1829–1916), however, had absolutely no field training during the Civil War. These seemed like … Carleton Watkins – Additional Biographical Information: "Photographer Carleton Watkins has been the subject of several major museum exhibitions, including those recently at the National Gallery of Art, and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Carleton E. Watkins (1829 - 1916) was active/lived in New York, California. 1 askART artist summary of Carleton E Watkins. This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Carleton. Updates? In the 1860s Carleton Watkins loaded a team of mules with his mammoth-plate camera and glass negatives and ventured into Yosemite Valley. After working as a daguerreotype operator in San Jose, he established his own practice and soon made his first visit to the Yosemite Valley. By 1858 Watkins was working on his own, taking on a number of photographic commissions for publishers and individuals, such as James M. Hutching who used the photographs as a source for engravings in his “Illustrated California Magazine”. Featured image: Carleton Watkins – Self-portrait, 1883. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. After the introduction of the wet collodion process—which reduced exposure time, created a sharper image, and was considerably cheaper—California photographers, Watkins among them, recognized its value for capturing the spectacular landscape of the region. Carleton E. Watkins came to California around 1851 from the small New York town of Oneonta, one of a hundred thousand hopeful young men migrating west that year in search of Gold Rush fortune. No complete listings of his "Old Series" stereoviews, published before 1875, are known. These have come to be known as manuscript or hand-signed Watkins views. Born in New York, he moved to California and quickly became interested in photography. Yosemite Valley, east-central California, U.S..; photograph by Carleton E. Watkins, 1860–61. He is best known for his pictures of Yosemite Valley and the nearby Mariposa Grove of giant sequoias. Watkins moved to California early in his life, living in San Francisco. Carleton E. Watkins (1829–1916) was an American photographer of the 19th century. These photographs were influential in President Lincoln’s decision to name Yosemite a national preserve and ultimately in persuading the United States Congress to pass legislation preserving the valley from commercial development. Carleton Eugene Watkins, preeminent photographer of the American West, photographed the Comstock during its greatest "boom" period, in 1876 and 1878. Watkins’s work as a photographer between 1854 and 1858 is still under study. Carleton Watkins was an American photographer. American. (For further information regarding his name, see the Researcher’s Note.). In 1851, at age 22, Watkins left his birthplace in rural upstate New York for California, traveling with Collis P. Huntington, who became famous later as a financier and railroad magnate. Carleton E. Watkins American, 1829 - 1916 Watkins, Carleton Emmons Biography; Works of Art; Artist Bibliography; Related Content Filter results by: Works on View. Watkins may have traveled to Yosemite in 1858-59 and the first 100 stereographs could include a combination of the two trips. Besides photographing landscapes in and around San Francisco from 1867 through the 1880s, Watkins traveled extensively. Carleton E. Watkins (1829 – 1916) was a noted 19th-century California photographer. Carleton Watkins – Additional Biographical Information: "Photographer Carleton Watkins has been the subject of several major museum exhibitions, including those recently at the National Gallery of Art, and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Limit … He Carleton Watkins (1829–1916) is widely considered the greatest American photographer of the nineteenth century and arguably the most influential artist of his era. Corrections? Approved biography for Carleton E. Watkins Courtesy of the Victoria & Albert Museum (London, UK) Carleton E. Watkins was the foremost American landscape photographer of his day. Biography. Carleton E. Watkins. Carleton E. Watkins, in full Carleton Emmons Watkins or Carleton Eugene Watkins, (born Nov. 11, 1829, Oneonta, N.Y., U.S.—died June 23, 1916, Imola, Calif.), American photographer best known for his artistic documentation of the landscape of the American West. Although Watkins’s life, like that of many commercially successful nineteenth-century photographers, is a rags-to-riches-back-to … Limit to works with online images. Find the latest shows, biography, and artworks for sale by Carleton E. Watkins If the Civil War was the greatest test of the young American republic's commitment to its founding precepts, it … In 1865 Watkins became official photographer for the California State Geological Survey. Carleton Watkins' Yosemite pictures brought him worldwide acclaim and were groundbreaking technically and artistically. Carleton Watkins was born in 1829 and was raised in Oneonta, New York. Limit to works on view. Take advantage of our Presidents' Day bonus! Carleton Watkins: Making the West American (University of California Press, 2018) is the first-ever biography of Watkins, as well as the first new history of the birth of the national park concept since 1948. He opened his own Yosemite Art Gallery in San Francisco two years later. The ranch was photographed by Carleton E. Watkins for a survey of Kern county, California. Carleton Watkins is known for Civil War and western landscape photography. By the early 1860s, Watkins’s reputation as a field photographer was firmly established.