Getty Museum
The Cliff House, San Francisco
Creator
Carleton WatkinsAmerican Photographer · 1829–1916
All works by this person →At twenty, Carleton Watkins headed out to California to make his fortune. After working as a daguerreotype operator in San Jose, he established his own practice and soon made his first visit to the Yosemite Valley. There he made thirty mammoth plate and one hundred stereograph views that were among the first photographs of Yosemite seen in the East. Partly on the strength of Watkins's photographs,
More on Getty ULAN- Date
- about 1879–1880
- Medium
- Albumen silver print
- Culture
- American
- Department
- Photographs
- Institution
- Getty Museum
Dozens of people on a beach enjoy the benefits of California's moderate climate, which drew a large number of settlers and tourists to the state during this period. Many of San Francisco's prominent families such as the Hearsts, Crockers, and Stanfords, would drive their carriages out to this spot along the beach, not far from San Francisco Bay, for horse racing. Carleton Watkins often photographed such scenes of recreation near the Cliff House. the building perched atop the overhang. Unlike earlier images in which people appeared blurred as a result of long exposure time, this image captures individuals clearly, even as they moved. By the time Watkins created this photograph, the light sensitivity of photographic material had developed to such an extent that more spontaneity was possible and the motion of people and water could be stopped.
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