Yosemite Falls, 2,634 feet 1870 - 1874

Carleton Watkins made this albumen print, "Yosemite Falls, 2,634 feet," at a time of great change in America. Here, nature is presented as majestic and untouched, a stark contrast to the industrialization and westward expansion that were rapidly transforming the landscape. Watkins’s photographs played a crucial role in shaping the perception of the American West. They influenced policy makers, leading to the designation of Yosemite as a national park in 1864. But the concept of "wilderness" was complicated. For many, including the Indigenous people who had stewarded the land for centuries, Yosemite was home. Watkins’s photographs, while undeniably beautiful, often overlooked the complex relationships between people and place. As you consider Watkins's photograph, think about whose stories are told and whose are left out. Think about how it makes you feel, and what it asks us to value.