North Dome on left - Royal Arches - Washington Column 1861

Carleton Watkins captured this landscape with albumen silver print. Dominating the vista is the imposing North Dome, flanked by the Royal Arches and Washington Column, symbols of nature’s architectural prowess. The arch motif, nature's gateways, echoes through time. Think of the triumphal arches of ancient Rome, or the gothic arches of medieval cathedrals. Here, the Royal Arches appear in an act of mirroring, as the domes are reflected in the calm river below. The natural arch, a symbol of transition and passage, is not merely structural; it touches something deep within us. It's as if the collective memory, a shared subconscious, recognizes this form, imbuing it with the promise of change. This primordial form resurfaces time and again, evolving but never losing its fundamental allure.