[Yosemite National Park, California] 1876 - 1880

Carleton Watkins captured this circular albumen print of Yosemite National Park in the late 19th century. During this period, photography played a crucial role in shaping perceptions of the American West, often romanticizing the landscape while obscuring the complex history of Indigenous displacement and environmental exploitation. Watkins's photographs, celebrated for their sublime beauty, also served to promote westward expansion and tourism, contributing to the erasure of Native presence. The image presents a serene view of Black's Hotel, a site of leisure amidst the wilderness, but what stories are not being told? What did this “serene” landscape look like to the native people that were there before? This photograph invites us to consider the power dynamics inherent in landscape photography, questioning whose perspectives are privileged and whose are marginalized in the visual narrative of the American West. Watkins once said, "I hope to convey, in some degree, the feeling with which I am impressed." But whose feelings are truly represented?