How does an unknown photographer save Yosemite?

1864 In June, when Sherman's army marched into Atlanta and Grant's army recovered from the bloody battle in Cold Harbor, President abraham lincoln freed himself from this cruel and expensive war and signed a law to protect the Yosemite Valley, a piece of land from the Sierra Nevada to the granite peak in California, which will be used for public purposes, resorts and entertainment places. This is the first time that the Federation has taken action to reserve a part of natural resources for Mongolia, and the predecessor of the National Park Administration of Mongolia is now celebrating its centenary birthday. This may not happen, but for a 34-year-old unknown man named Carlton Watkins. Carlton Watkins of Yosemite.

Lincoln's signature laid the foundation for the birth of a national park system in a small town in new york. 1849, Watkins went to the west to look for wealth during the California gold rush, but failed. After attracting Robert Vance, a pioneer typist from Daguerre, he began to invest in mining. 186 1 in the summer of, Watkins set out to shoot Yosemite. He carried a lot of equipment on mules' tripods, dark tents and lenses, and invented a new invention, which can take clear landscape photos on a two-foot wide glass plate.

We associate Yosemite's photo with ansel adams's. He admitted that Watkins was one of the "great western photographers", but it was Watkins who first turned the dome, cathedral rocks and Pitan in Elca into unforgettable scenes. Weston Naif, the curator of photography, is the co-author of a book about Watkins. He described Watkins as "probably the greatest American artist of his time, and few people have heard of him."

Sketches and awe-inspiring descriptions of Yosemite's magnificent scenery spread to the East in the middle of19th century, but nothing aroused public reaction like Watkins' photos, which were exhibited in a gallery in new york in 1862. The Times reported: "Towering mountains, tall trees and waterfalls ... are unparalleled uniqueness and beauty." . Albert Baersch Tate, the great landscape painter, immediately went to Yosemite. Ralph Waldo Emerson said that Watkins' description of Sequoia "is a wonder that everyone can be proud of."

Watkins' works coincided with California supporters promoting the state by distributing land in Yosemite, the birthplace of "perhaps the greatest miracle in the world". Senator John Connes boasted to Congress at 1864. Historians believe that Connors owns a set of photos of Watkins and is a friend of Lincoln. He showed these photos to the President a year before he signed the Yosemite Protection Act. Sentinel Yowiye or Nevada Falls on the three-dimensional map card of Watkins Pacific Coast Series (Library of Congress).

And Mount broderick (Library of Congress) North Dome, Royal Arch and Washington Column (Library of Congress) Cathedral Rock (Library of Congress) Dome (Library of Congress) Finnall and Nevada Falls from Glacier Point (Library of Congress) yosemite falls from Sentinel Dome (Library of Congress) Watkins as a photographer's reputation Ross, he traveled to the west: Columbia Canyon, Faralon Mountains, Yellowstone National Park. But he returned to Yosemite all the way today. For us postmodernists, it is hard to imagine the influence of those first vivid photos. They are more accustomed to the image of the wilderness than the thing itself, and they often associate photos of Yosemite with clothing advertisements. However, somehow, they have retained their own strength, and let us "re-examine nature itself, shining with a kind of ordinary and magical clarity," said Christine Holt Lewis, an expert at Watkins.

In his later years, Watkins lost his sight and livelihood. 1906 earthquake destroyed his studio and many negatives (and threw 4-year-old ansel adams on the wall, bending his nose). At one time, Watkins lived in a van with his wife and children. He died 100 years ago this month at the age of 86. Br Oak and the blind are at Napa State Hospital, a shelter. Two months later, President Woodrow Wilson established the National Park Service, which is the manager of Watkins' lofty position to a war-weary country.

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