Watkins, Carleton
View from the Residence of Chas. Crocker, Esq. S. F. [Boudoir Card]
Carleton Watkins, San Francisco, CA
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19th century boudoir card. No publication date, produced between 1880 and 1888 when Watkins' studio was located at 427 Montgomery Street in San Francisco. Mount measures approximately 8.5 x 5.25 inches. Title and publisher imprint is printed in black in the margin below the image. View is numbered "B 3642." Verso is blank. One inch crack to bottom edge, partially impacting image; moderate soiling, mostly to margins and verso; minor wear to edges; mount has slight inward bend. Image is very crisp. Overall, good condition. Carleton Watkins (1829-1916) was born in New York and moved to California during the gold rush in 1851. There Watkins became interested in photography, working in James Ford's gallery before starting his own studio. His mammoth plate photos of Yosemite brought him international renown, but a financial panic in the mid-1870s caused the loss of his studio and his negatives. He decided to re-photograph his famous shots for a "New Series" of views. This boudoir card comes from that later body of work. It shows a sprawling view of San Francisco as seen from the Nob Hill mansion of Charles Crocker, a founder of the Central Pacific Railroad. Mautz 179.
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