Mammoth Grove Hotel 1870 - 1874

Carleton Watkins made this photograph of the Mammoth Grove Hotel using the wet collodion process. This was a popular method in the 19th century, involving coating a glass plate with chemicals, exposing it in the camera while still wet, and then developing it immediately. The resulting image has a remarkable tonal range and sharpness, capturing the texture of the wooden building and the surrounding trees. But beyond the aesthetic qualities, we can see the impact of industrialization on the American landscape. Hotels like this catered to tourists eager to experience the sublime beauty of nature, made newly accessible by railroads and other infrastructure. Watkins' photograph thus becomes a document of a changing world, where the wild and untamed was increasingly commodified and consumed. It's a reminder that even the most seemingly natural scenes are often shaped by human intervention and economic forces.