Empire State. C. Grove 1876 - 1880

Carleton Watkins captured "Empire State. C. Grove" with his camera sometime in the late 19th century. The photograph presents the awe-inspiring scale of a giant sequoia, a species native to California, during a period marked by westward expansion and resource exploitation. Watkins's photographs were not just aesthetic; they were tools of promotion, enticing settlers and investors with the promise of the American West. Yet, his images also capture a landscape increasingly under threat. The romantic depiction of the West conveniently overlooked the violent displacement of Indigenous peoples and the environmental cost of industrial progress. As you look at this majestic tree, consider the complex layers of history it embodies: a symbol of nature's grandeur, a testament to human ambition, and a reminder of the environmental and social consequences of unchecked expansion. The emotional pull of this image lies in this tension.