Tasayac, or the Half Dome, 4967 Feet 1861

Carleton Watkins produced this mammoth albumen print, "Tasayac, or the Half Dome, 4967 Feet," sometime in the 19th century. It shows Yosemite Valley, a location that would become a National Park in 1890. Watkins's image helped to shape American perceptions of the West. His photographs were widely circulated and admired, contributing to the growing movement for environmental conservation. Yet, this romantic vision of untouched wilderness obscures a more complex history. Yosemite was not an empty landscape; it was home to indigenous peoples who were displaced and dispossessed as the area was developed for tourism and resource extraction. Watkins's photograph, while beautiful, also serves as a reminder of the social and ecological costs of westward expansion. The historian can draw on a variety of resources such as government documents, newspapers, and personal accounts, to better understand the complex social and institutional dynamics surrounding this iconic image.