Carleton Watkins: The Complete Mammoth Photographs (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9781606060056)

The extraordinary body of work produced by photographer Carleton Watkins (1829-1916) between 1858 and 1891 constitutes one of the longest and most productive careers in nineteenth-century American photography. Nearly thirteen hundred "mammoth" (18 x 22 inch) glass-plate negatives were produced, the majority of which exist in only one surviving print. Of these, fewer than three hundred have been previously reproduced or exhibited.

Drawing on the major collections of Watkins prints at the J. Paul Getty Museum, the Bancroft Library at the University of California, Berkeley, the Huntington Library in San Marino, California, and numerous smaller collections, the authors have assembled and catalogued all of Watkins's known mammoth-plate photographs. These include views of Yosemite, San Francisco, and the Pacific Coast, as well as railroads, mines, and lumber mills throughout the west. The work will contribute not only to a fuller understanding of this pioneering photographer but also portray the barely explored frontier in its final moments of pristine beauty. The catalogue is organized by region and includes an inventory of Watkins's negatives and an illustrated guide to his signatures, both of value to scholars, collectors, and dealers.

Author: Weston Naef, Christine Hult-Lewis
ISBN-10: 1606060058
ISBN-13: 9781606060056
Publisher: J. Paul Getty Museum
Language: English
Published: 11/15/2011
Pages: 608
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 8.35lbs
Size: 12.80h x 10.20w x 2.00d

Review Citation(s):
Library Journal 11/01/2011 pg. 78
Choice 05/01/2012
Reference and Research Bk News 04/01/2012 pg. 287