Road View to Sutro Tunnel 1875

Carleton E. Watkins' "Road View to Sutro Tunnel" (1875) is a striking example of landscape photography from the American West. The large-format photograph, now in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, presents a vast, dry, and desolate landscape. The focus is on the majestic mountains in the distance, with the road leading to the Sutro Tunnel in the foreground. Watkins’s photography documented the development of the American West, capturing the grandeur and beauty of the natural world. The image is a testament to his masterful use of light and composition, making the viewer feel the vastness of the western landscape.