The House over a Stump of a Big Tree 1865 - 1866

Carleton Watkins made this photograph, "The House over a Stump of a Big Tree," using the wet collodion process, a cutting-edge photographic technology in his time. Watkins’ photograph speaks volumes about materiality, labor, and the changing landscape of the American West. The image shows a massive tree stump, starkly juxtaposed with the delicate, human-scale architecture of the house built upon it. The contrast emphasizes the sheer scale of the felled redwood, a testament to the era’s industrial ambition. This image captures the complex relationship between nature and industry, portraying the transformation of a natural resource into a spectacle for human consumption. Watkins was not just an artist but also a savvy businessman, recognizing the appeal of these images to a public eager for the wonders of the West. In considering Watkins' picture, we can see how it serves as a potent reminder of the environmental costs of progress, and the social narratives embedded within the materials and landscapes we encounter.