Carleton Watkins explores the Sierra Nevada

[Pierre Tavlitzki]

In the nineteenth century, American photographers rush on Niagara Falls in the East, and on the Yosemite in the West.

Two photographers operating in San Francisco are known for their extremely careful prints. They will have very different fates. Eadweard Muybridge became illustrious for his photographic analysis of motion. He is considered a major precursor of the cinema. Carleton Watkins, a little talent for business, will be bankrupt.

Both toured the West in all directions. The very prolific Watkins photographed also the Sierra Nevada. His series of magnificent landscapes of Round Top Mountain made in 1878 comes on tomorrow, February 15 at Bonhams and Butterfields in San Francisco. This copy comes from the personal collection of the explorer whom Watkins accompanied for the occasion. These albumen prints, 15 1 / 2 x 21 1 / 4 inches, mounted on white cardboard, have handwritten titles.

According to good practice in photo auctions, the full series is proposed first, with an estimate of $ 80K. If the reserve price is not reached, the 24 lots will be presented individually with an estimated $ 2K each.

[Pierre Tavlitzki]

It was heartbreaking, in cultural terms, for this set to be splitted. The estimated price was low, so there was little risk for it to fail.

The whole exactly doubled its low estimate, at $ 160 K before fees. This is a very good result.