Carleton E. Watkins: Pioneer California Photographer (1829-1916): A Study in the Evolution of Photographic Style During the First Decade of Wet Plate Photography

The concept of style in 19th century photography still remains to be explored and defined. Two crucial facts of photography continue to be ignored. First, photography as an art form is inextricably linked to the medium's technology. Any discussion of photographic style must take into consideration the technical capacities and limitations of the equipment and chemical processes used. Second, photography was and is a business. As a commercial being, the photographer must respond to the market to be successful. Carleton Watkins is an excellent case in point. His career as a photographer lasted from 1854 to 1900. It coincided with the technical evolution of photography from its earliest form, the daguerreotype, through the wet plate and dry plate processes, to the era of the first hand-held Kodak camera with its gelatin-based emulsions. Photography was his livelihood. His subject matter represents either what he believed to be marketable or what his clients commissioned him to photograph. His purpose was simply to make a living. That he created images which transcend his intentions testifies to his artistry. In the study of his early career that follows I have presented my findings in two parts: the text itself, and an illustrated checklist of all the mammoth plate photographs which I can attribute to Watkins in the period from 1860 to 1866. The text details the circumstances of Watkins' move from Oneonta, New York, to Sacramento, California, in 1851, his early employment there as a salesman and clerk, and his first efforts as a daguerreotypist in the San Jose gallery of James Ford. I then discuss Watkins ensuing career as a photographer and the factors which formed his style. Among the latter are the technological evolution of his medium, the nature of his commissions, the prevailing attitudes towards landscape, and the state of his art as practiced and marketed in San Francisco. Finally, the text chronicles the emerging reputation of the young photographer and the impact his photographs had on Easterners' vision of the West.