Amateur Photographer Magazine

Carleton Watkins in Yosemite - Book review

Wednesday 1st July 2009

Title: Carleton Watkins in Yosemite

Editor: Weston Naef

ISBN: 978-089236-945-4

Publisher: Getty Publications,

Edition: Hardback

Somewhat lost behind the long, storied career of Ansel Adams is the tragic tale of Carleton Emmons Watkins.

Like his successor, Watkins rose to prominence in the 1860s with his mammoth 18x22in glass-plate photographs of California's Yosemite Valley.

Transporting equipment that weighed nearly a ton, including his oversized cameras, tripods, lenses, plate holders, dark tent and chemicals, Watkins was the pre-eminent illustrator of maps and guidebooks in his day. Until it all went wrong.

A series of awful business decisions led to him losing the rights to his own images, and he spent much of his career recreating his prior work – in essence, competing with himself for publication. The final nail came when the great earthquake of 1906 destroyed most of his negatives. He was later institutionalised.

The only word to describe this Getty collection of Watkins' remaining works is 'breathtaking'. Beautiful compositions and pristine clarity evoke in the rugged landscapes a tranquillity we often forget exists. Nearly 100 years since his passing, these images are as timeless as Yosemite itself.

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