[Yosemite National Park, California] 1876 - 1880

Carleton Watkins made this albumen print of Yosemite National Park in the 19th century. Watkins was commissioned to capture the West, at a time when the idea of Manifest Destiny shaped much of the country’s expansionist policies. Watkins's photographs were instrumental in convincing Congress to protect Yosemite Valley as a national park. Yet these images also participate in the erasure of Native presence. They portray an uninhabited, idyllic landscape, which obscures the violent displacement of Indigenous peoples. While the sublime natural beauty is evident, it is important to acknowledge the complex history of land ownership and cultural dispossession that underlies this imagery. The image emphasizes a narrative of westward expansion that romanticizes the landscape, while ignoring its previous inhabitants. Consider how the aesthetic appeal of these landscapes also served political and economic agendas, by facilitating tourism. The emotional allure of these images naturalizes the narrative of progress, even as it complicates our understanding of environmental ethics and social justice.