Hot Sulphur Springs, Santa Barbara 1876

Carleton Watkins made this albumen silver print of Hot Sulphur Springs in Santa Barbara sometime in the 19th century, using a process rooted in the manipulation of light and chemistry. Watkins, like other photographers of the American West, harnessed industrial advancements to capture an almost tactile sense of place. This photographic technique required a portable darkroom and meticulous preparation, sensitizing the paper with silver nitrate, and exposing it in a large format camera, before the image was fixed and washed. The final print, mounted on card stock, presents a remarkably detailed view, from the rugged rock formations to the figures posed along the path. The very act of photography here is tied to notions of progress and the exploitation of natural resources, as sites like these springs were being promoted for their health benefits, thus anticipating a land boom. Watkins's work then becomes a complex document, capturing both the sublime beauty of the American landscape, and the relentless drive to commodify it.