Carleton E. Watkins
El Capitan, 3600 Ft., Yosemite Valley
Carleton E. Watkins
1829 - 1916
El Capitan, 3600 Ft., Yosemite Valley
mammoth-plate albumen print, mounted, with title and 'No. 19' in pencil on the reverse, 1861
image: 15 ½ by 20 ⅝ in. (39.4 by 52.4 cm.)
frame: 32 ½ by 27 in. (82.6 by 68.6 cm.)
Please note the colors and shades in the online catalogue illustration may vary depending on screen settings. On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 representing the darkest, deepest albumen print with highlights that retain their original detail, this print is a 7 or 8. While the dark tones are a rich coffee brown and are rendered with crystalline detail in the foreground, the midtones are diffuse and the highlights are somewhat yellowed in the sky. This photograph is in generally excellent condition. The following are visible in high raking light: hairline scratches and impressions; and scattered small deposits of retouching. Upon close inspection, there is faint soiling and scuffs in the sky. The mount is worn, heavily soiled, and age-darkened on the front and reverse. There is a 5-inch tideline at the lower right corner, which does not intrude upon the photograph. The lower right mount corner is creased. There are losses at the upper left and lower left mount corners as well as some small tears to the edges of the mount.
The lot is sold in the condition it is in at the time of sale. The condition report is provided to assist you with assessing the condition of the lot and is for guidance only. Any reference to condition in the condition report for the lot does not amount to a full description of condition. The images of the lot form part of the condition report for the lot. Certain images of the lot provided online may not accurately reflect the actual condition of the lot. In particular, the online images may represent colors and shades which are different to the lot's actual color and shades. The condition report for the lot may make reference to particular imperfections of the lot but you should note that the lot may have other faults not expressly referred to in the condition report for the lot or shown in the online images of the lot. The condition report may not refer to all faults, restoration, alteration or adaptation. The condition report is a statement of opinion only. For that reason, the condition report is not an alternative to taking your own professional advice regarding the condition of the lot. NOTWITHSTANDING THIS ONLINE CONDITION REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE/BUSINESS APPLICABLE TO THE RESPECTIVE SALE.
Grogan & Company, Boston, 5 November 2017, Sale 161, Lot 106
Private collection, Massachusetts
Grogan & Company, Boston, 11 November 2018, Lot 126
Weston Naef and Christine Lewis-Hult, Carleton Watkins: The Complete Mammoth Photographs (Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum, 2011), cat. no. 126, p. 63.
Tyler Green, Carleton Watkins: Making the West American (Oakland, 2018), p. 97