[Yosemite National Park, California] 1876 - 1880

This early photograph of Yosemite National Park was made by Carleton Watkins, using the wet plate collodion process. The composition is dominated by the flowing Merced River, framed by the imposing trees and mountains of the valley. Notice how Watkins has captured the scene within a circle. This shape evokes the ancient symbol of the Ouroboros, the snake eating its own tail, representing cyclicality and the eternal return. The trees and mountains rise and fall, mirroring the river's continuous flow, a visual echo of the Ouroboros' infinite loop. Across cultures, such as in ancient Egypt and Greece, the Ouroboros embodied the cosmos, renewal, and the interconnectedness of all things. The photograph’s very form—a circle—thus becomes a profound meditation on nature's enduring cycles, reminding us of the symbolic power embedded in simple shapes, constantly resurfacing throughout time.