Carleton E. Watkins, American, 1829-1916
View from Inspiration Point, Yosemite, 1879
Carleton E. Watkins had depicted the natural beauty of Yosemite National Park in a photograph a decade before the area was named a national park. His photographs were useful in showing the area as pristine and deserving of recognition as a national park. However, at the time of the photo being taken, many chemicals were necessary to produce photographs. The camera has captured the natural beauty of Yosemite at the price of bringing potential pollutants into the area. The complex process of photography likely contaminated many areas of the park while it hypocritically honored its supposed untouched beauty. Understanding the historical and environmental context of art can change the viewpoint one can have of it. Label by Jonathan Yoder