Aileen Clarke-Library Book

I chose to look at Carleton Watkin’s work in his book “The Art of Perception”. He rose to fame during the 19th century for his landscape photos. His work was not only well known, but also very influential during his time. For example, “In part because of Watkins’ Yosemite pictures, in 1864 Congress passed and President Lincoln signed legislation preserving Yosemite Valley. The law was an important first step in the creation of the National Park Service in 1916. In 1865, Mount Watkins in Yosemite was named after Carleton Watkins”.

As I mentioned earlier, the majority of Watkin’s pictures are of landscapes.The first time I flipped through the book, I found a good amount of photos I was fond of, but I also found some that I was not too fond of. Some of the photos that did not catch my eye were the ones having to do with construction and such. I also thought perhaps if the photographs were in color, the photos would appeal to me more. But after some time passed and I revisited the book, I found myself taking much more time looking at each individual photo. I appreciated the photos much more and by the end of the book, I thought to myself, why did I think these photos needed color. The contrast between the light and dark was plenty. After learning the meaning behind the photos and the impact that they actually had, I think that also influenced my opinion of the images. One thing I noticed about Watkin’s photographs is that, although beautiful, they do not give off a warm, happy feeling. The photographs give off more of a isolated, cold feeling. My favorite photograph of Watkin’s from his book is plate 90. titled Arbutus Menziesii Pursh. The photograph is of a tree. The thing that I like best about the photograph is how abundant the tree’s branches and leaves are, yet the ground beside and beneath it is so bare. It reminds me of life.  When some things are going well in your life, other things are not going as well. As humans it is our job to try and balance the two to find the perfect middle ground. The other reason I chose this photograph was because it reminded me of a tree that I always pass when I walk around Longwood Gardens so it made me think of home.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this assignment. I found it extremely interesting to look at a specific photographer and a collection of that artist’s work. I have much respect for Carleton Watkin as an artist and much respect for his work with landscapes. After examining his book, I understand why he was so influential and well known during his time.

The photograph above is a picture I took at Longwood Gardens and the tree reminds me of the tree in Carleton Watkin's photograph to the left.