— Your browser does not have Javascript enabled —
We recommended that you enable Javascript to better experience some features of this site

Close

Tips for searching CarletonWatkins.org

Enter one or more words or numbers and click "Search".

Your search results will show matches from:

Searches may contain letters, numbers, underscore, dash and spaces.

Searches are not case sensitive. Searching for san francisco is the same as San Francisco.

Examples

  • Searching for Cliff House finds all images with the words Cliff or House. Images with both words are listed first in the results.
  • Searching for 1003 finds images with the number 1003. Several numbers can be searched at the same time, for example 1003 1045 3723 will find all images with those numbers.
  • The Options drop-down lets you narrow your search

  • By default your search includes results with any of the search words. A search for Yosemite Valley includes all results with either the words Yosemite or Valley. Alternately you may choose to only show results containing all the search words. The seach will then only include results with both the words Yosemite and Valley.
  • You can also exclude results with specific words. Searching for Valley and excluding Yosemite will show results containing Shasta Valley, Spring Valley, etc. but not Yosemite Valley.

Welcome to CarletonWatkins.org

Carleton Watkins (American, 1829-1916) was one of the most highly acclaimed of early western photographers, yet Watkins's work has never been fully cataloged. No complete listings of his "Old Series" stereoviews, published before 1875, are known. This site brings together complete collections of Watkins's photographs.

Watkins extensively photographed early San Francisco, Yosemite, Mendocino and the Sierra Nevada mining regions. His photogaphs of Yosemite helped influence Congress and President Lincoln in the preservation of Yosemite Valley. Watkins also made some of the earliest photographs of Southern California and the Pacific Nortwest. Watkins' Pacific Railroad series documents construction of the trans-continental railroad from Sacramento to Utah.

CarletonWatkins.org is made possible by many institutions and private collectors with a common interest in the work of Carleton Watkins and the desire to make his complete work readily available to all.

Begin by visiting the Featured Photographs gallery to see examples of Watkins's best photographs or go directly to the series collections for a more complete view of Watkins's work. The series collections are grouped by year, 1850-1860 (Watkins's earliest photographs), 1861-1873 (Watkins' "Old" Series) and 1874-1890 (Watkins' New Series).

We hope you enjoy this compilation of California and the West in its early years.

Frame

Golden Gate, San Francisco

Cape Horn, Columbia River

Piwyac, or the Vernal Fall and Mt. Broderick, Yosemite

San Xavier Mission, near Tucson

The Wreck of the Viscata, San Francisco

Interior Ophir Hoisting Works. The Cages

Contributors to CarletonWatkins.org

CarletonWatkins.org is grateful to many institutions and individuals for their ongoing support and dedication to the ambitious goal of cataloging Carleton Watkins's photographs and making them available online.

Carleton Watkins —
A short biography

Learn about Watkins life and his incredible contribution to Western photography in the nineteenth century. Watkins producted over five thousand photographs during his career and his work was widely recognized.

Image Tags

Tags are keywords or labels added to images with something in common. Clicking on a tag displays all images with that tag. Tags are included in searches and you can navigate between groups of tagged images by clicking from one tag to another.

Guide to using CarletonWatkins.org

Click on this link to learn about website content and navigation.

CarletonWatkins.org
on Facebook

Follow us on Facebook for updates and other news.

Popular images this week


Mirror View, Yosemite, North Dome

Nevada Fall

Tunnel No. 12, Strong's Canyon

For Mr. (Emins?) Golden Gate, Black Point


The contents of CarletonWatkins.org website are subject to Conditions of Use — Copyright © 2003-2024 Carletonwatkins.org