[Yosemite National Park, California] 1876 - 1880

Curator: This stunning view before us is "Yosemite National Park, California," an albumen print by Carleton E. Watkins, dating from 1876 to 1880. It's currently held here at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Editor: Immediately, I'm struck by its monochromatic elegance, like a sepia dream. The oval composition really focuses your gaze on the imposing rock formations. It is surprisingly soft and contemplative. Curator: Watkins’s images played a crucial role in advocating for the preservation of Yosemite as a national park. The photograph not only captured the raw beauty of the American West, but also helped shape public opinion and encouraged the government to protect these lands. The work fits squarely into the project of nation-building and myth creation surrounding the "frontier." Editor: Note how the mist obscures the middle ground, pushing the towering cliffs forward while softening the tree line to an almost Orientalist screen. It creates this palpable sense of depth that accentuates the monumental scale of the landscape. Curator: Exactly, the choice of the albumen process, and large-format prints such as this, speak to the scientific expeditions that were popular at the time. It emphasizes clarity, resolution, and seemingly objective documentation. But beyond a simple record, the image presents a romantic, majestic view that undoubtedly resonated with audiences eager to understand and valorize westward expansion. Editor: While it can certainly be interpreted within a larger political and social project, let’s also appreciate the sheer technical achievement. The contrast, from the foreground grasses to the illuminated faces of the cliffs, shows extraordinary attention to detail in tone and texture. You see every individual tree! It is simply marvelous! Curator: True. Watkins certainly wielded his camera to express the grand possibilities of landscape. His influence echoes through later landscape photography, even cinema, and illustrates how early artistic expressions have helped build today's landscape and national identities. Editor: And for me, Watkins's "Yosemite National Park" achieves more than documentary. Through light and form, it creates a sacred space, an arena for silent contemplation that elevates landscape photography as high art.