The J. Paul Getty Museum

"Agassiz" Column, Yosemite

Object Details

Title:

"Agassiz" Column, Yosemite

Artist/Maker:

Carleton Watkins (American, 1829 - 1916)

Culture:

American

Date:

1878

Medium:

Albumen silver print

Object Number:

92.XM.81.4

Dimensions:

12.5 × 12.5 cm (4 15/16 × 4 15/16 in.)

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Object Description

This compelling photograph presents an austere view of Agassiz Column, a seemingly precarious monument in Yosemite. Carleton Watkins achieved the round vignette format by either photographing or printing through a circular stencil, masking out the square edges. He often experimented with different angles, perspectives, and print formats in his New Series, the images he made after 1876.

Exhibitions
Exhibitions
Carleton Watkins: From Where the View Looked Best (February 15 to June 4, 2000)
  • The J. Paul Getty Museum at the Getty Center (Los Angeles), February 15 to June 4, 2000
Bibliography
Bibliography

Watkins, Carleton E. and Weston Naef, ed. Carleton Watkins: Photographs from the J. Paul Getty Museum (Los Angeles: The Museum, 1997).