Carleton E. Watkins

TU-TOCH-ANULA OR EL CAPITAN. 3600 FT. HIGH

1861

This is one of the popular features of Yosemite National Park. It was photographs such as this one that helped convince Congress to preserve this area as a national park.

Photographers such as Watkins took pictures in these wilderness areas with the wet plate cameras which required a great deal of skill and patience. Watkins used a camera that was 18x22 inches for many of his landscapes, carrying the burdensome equipment over very rough terrain to obtain these images. On his expedition to Yosemite he had to use twelve mules just to carry the equipment to the base camp and then required five mules every day just to transport the equipment for the day’s work!