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• Categories

  Picture Categories

  • Agriculture
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  • Buildings and Structures
  • Disasters
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• Tours

  Featured Watkins Photographs

  Tour of selected stereographs by Carleton Watkins
• Mammoth
  Plates

  Mammoth Plate Photographs

  Becoming a Professional Photographer

  • Watkins Earliest Photographs
  • Las Mariposas Mining Estate, Mariposa County
  • Rancho San Antonio, Alameda County
  • Specimens
  • New Almaden Mine, Santa Clara County

  Yosemite Valley and Related Pictures

  • Mariposa Grove and Mariposa Trail
  • Yosemite Valley
  • Vernal Fall, Nevada Fall, and Cap of Liberty
  • Yosemite Valley from the North and South Rim
  • Calaveras Big Tree Grove, Calaveras County

  San Francisco and the Pacific Coast

  • San Francisco
  • Mendocino County
  • Oregon
  • Farallon Islands, San Francisco and Marin
  • Washington Territory, British Columbia

  South, East, and North of San Francisco

  • San Mateo County Estates
  • Santa Clara, Alameda and Marin Counties
  • Monterey and Santa Cruz Counties

  The Californa Missions Project

  • Northern and Central California
  • Southern California and Arizona

  Picturing the Topographical Landscape

  • California
  • Utah and Wyoming
  • Arizona

  Railroads and Agriculture

  • Railroads
  • Central Coast and Kern County
  • Los Angeles County and Points East

  Mining

  • Nevada County, California
  • State of Nevada
  • Arizona and Montana
  • Butte County, California

  Other Subjects

  • Portraits and Works of Art

  

  Watkins used a specially constructed camera to expose 18 x 22 inch glass plates. He created over 1200 mammoth plate photographs during his career. Watkins photographs of Yosemite were very influentual in creation of the park.

• Stereographs
  1859-1874

  Stereographs 1859-1874   (Watkins Old Series and Watkins Pacific Railroad)

  Stereographs

  • Rancho Las Mariposas
  • Yosemite - c1861
    (1-100)
  • New Almaden & San Jose
    (101-199)
  • Mendocino
    (200-296)
  • San Francisco & Environs - 1860-64
    (297-576)
  • San Francisco & Environs - 1864-66
    (577-800)
  • Yosemite & misc California
    (801-899)
  • Spring Valley Water Works
    (900-925)
  • San Francisco - c1868
    (926-1000)
  • Yosemite
    (1001-1200)
  • Columbia River & vicinity
    (1201-1337)
  • San Francisco & CPRR
    (1338-1538)
  • Mt Shasta & Northern California
    (1539-1600)
  • San Francisco - c1872
    (1601-1800)
  • Sierra Nevada Mining
    (1801-1835)
  • Vallejo & San Francisco
    (1839-2000)
  • Farallone Islands
    (2001-2078)
  • San Francisco & Environs - c1872
    (2079-2300)
  • Napa and Sonoma Geysers
    (2301-2359)

  Stereographs

  • San Francisco and Environs
    (2360-2500)
  • Modoc War
    (2501-2524)
  • Marin County and San Mateo
    (2525-2599)
  • Utah
    (2700-2771)

  Watkins Pacific Railroad

  • Sierra Nevada Foothils
    (1-99)
  • High Sierra & Sacramento
    (100-199)
  • Sierra Summit & Reno
    (200-299)
  • Nevada desert & Last Rail
    (300-364)

  

  Watkins was widely recognized for his photographs during this time, receiving a medal from the Paris International Exposition in 1867. This group of photographs are known as Watkins Old Series and are some of the earliest photographs of California and Oregon.

• Stereographs
  1875-1890

  Stereographs 1875 to 1890   (Watkins New Series)

  Stereographs

  • Yosemite - 1878-1881
    (3001-3175)
  • Oakland and Misc Railroad
    (3301-3323)
  • Alpine County and Round Top
    (3382-3393)
  • North Bloomfield Gravel Mines
    (3394-3400)
  • Mammoth Big Tree Grove
    (3501-3537)
  • River Mining and Misc
    (3538-3546)
  • San Francisco
    (3547-3661)
  • Southern California - c1878
    (3662-3667)
  • San Francisco and Environs
    (3668-3782)
  • Miscellaneous
    (3783-3800)
  • Monterey and Environs
    (3801-3899)
  • Lake Tahoe and Environs
    (4001-4065)
  • Nevada and the Comstock
    (4066-4192)
  • C.P.R.R. and Donner Pass
    (4201-4242)
  • Southern California
    (4301-4600)
  • California Missions
    (4601-4667)
  • Utah - winter of 1873-1874
    (4701-4716)
  • Southern California - 1880
    (4751-4836)

  Stereographs

  • Arizona - 1880
    (4837-4922)
  • Santa Cruz and Environs
    (5001-5068)
  • Washington Territory - 1882
    (5201-5263)
  • Victoria, B.C. - 1882
    (5264-5303)
  • Oregon, Idaho and Yellowstone
    (E1-E217)

  Unnumbered Series

  • Fourteenth Industrial Exposition
  • A.B. Clark, Anaheim

  Albumns

  • Sunny Slope, San Gabriel, Cal.

  

  After the loss of his earlier negatives to a creditor during a financial crisis, Carleton Watkins started photographing anew in the mid-1870s. Watkins' "New Series" stereographs begin with series number 3001.

• Other
  Formats

  Photographs in other Formats

  Albums

  • Yosemite Valley, Watkins New Series, 1878
  • R. H. - 1874, Yosemite
  • Sunny Slope, San Gabriel, Cal.
  • California Missions
  • View Album - Taber

  Studio Portraits

  • Photographs made in Watkins San Franciso Studio

  CdV, Cabinet Card, Boudoir Card, Imperial Mount and other Medium Format Prints

  • Yosemite Valley and Related Pictures
  • San Francisco and Environs
  • Monterey and Santa Cruz Counties
  • Lake Tahoe and Northern California
  • Southern California
  • Arizona, Utah, Idaho and Yellowstone
  • Oregon and Washington Territory
  • Victoria, B.C.

  

  Watkins published prints in a variety of formats during his career including Albums, Cabinet Cards, and 8x10 prints.

• Documents &
  Ephemera

  Documents & Ephemera

  • Advertising and Trade Cards
  • Lists of Watkins Stereoscopic Views
  • Watkins Railroad Passes - 1884 to 1900

  

  Includes advertising, trade cards, personal correspondence, and other documents.

• About
  About Carleton Watkins

  • Carleton Watkins - A brief biography
  • Watkins's Personal Collection
  • Links to related information

  About CarletonWatkins.org

  • Guide to using CarletonWatkins.org
  • New Additions to CarletonWatkins.org
  • List of missing titles and images
  • Image tags
  • Website dedication to Peter Palmquist
  • Questions and Comments
  • Conditions of Use

New Additions to CarletonWatkins.org

Added May 2, 2026

Contributor: Phil Nathanson

Unnumbered - The Petrified Grotto, At th ...

Unnumbered - La Joli, Pacific Coast near ...

Unnumbered - La Joli, Pacific Coast near ...

Unnumbered - La Joli, Pacific Coast near ...

Unnumbered - La Joli, Pacific Coast near ...

Unnumbered - R.R. Co.'s works at Wilming ...

Unnumbered - Sea Sculpture, Point Fermin ...

Unnumbered - Santa Monica Bathing Houses ...

Unnumbered - Beach at Santa Monica, Cal.

Unnumbered - Bathing in the Surf at Sant ...

Unnumbered - Old Santa Monica, Cal.

Unnumbered - Old Santa Monica, Cal.

Unnumbered - Santa Monica Hotel, Cal.

Unnumbered - Santa Monica Hotel, Cal.

Unnumbered - The Arlington, Santa Barbar ...

Unnumbered - Street view in San Luis Obi ...

Unnumbered - Untitled

#D 214 - In a Curio Shop at Livingston, ...

#D 220 - Minerva Springs, Mammoth Hot Sp ...

#D 237 - Pulpit Terraces, Mammoth Hot Sp ...

Added March 11, 2026

Contributor: Russell Norton - www.stereoview.com

#1253 - S. G. Reed, Cascades, Columbia R ...

#1561 - Indian Maiden.

Added March 7, 2026

Contributor: Michael Maslan

#5208 - Panorama of Seattle, Puget Sound ...

#5211 - Panorama of Seattle, Puget Sound ...

#5218 - Panorama of Seattle, (W.T.), fro ...

#5219 - Panorama of Seattle, (W. T.), fr ...

#5223 - Panorama of Seattle, (W. T.), fr ...

#5228 - Seattle, Puget Sound, (W. T.) V ...

#5278 - Panorama of Victoria (B.C.), fro ...

Added December 5, 2025

Contributor: Roger Genser - The Prints & The Pauper

Unnumbered - City of Monterey, Californi ...

Added March 3, 2025

Contributor: John Weiler

#231 - The Pt. Big River

Added August 7, 2024

Contributor: Roger Genser - The Prints & The Pauper

#2367 - Clay St. Hill R.R., San Francisc ...

Added July 26, 2024

Contributor: Jim Crain

#1201 - Panorama of Portland and the Wil ...

Added June 25, 2024

Contributor: Jeremy Rowe Vintage Photography

Unnumbered - Side View of G S Halls Out ...

Added April 20, 2024

Contributor: Roger Genser - The Prints & The Pauper

#1376 - Bay View from North Point

Added February 25, 2024

Contributor: Roger Genser - The Prints & The Pauper

#4760 - Cosmopolitan Hotel, Los Angles

Added December 2, 2023

Contributor: Roger Genser - The Prints & The Pauper

#4751 - Santa Monica Hotel, Cal.

Added November 24, 2023

Contributor: Robert Bothamley

Unnumbered - View Album Taber

Unnumbered - View Album - Taber inside c ...

Unnumbered - View Album - Taber inside c ...

Unnumbered - Untitled

Unnumbered - Instantaneous surf effect a ...

Unnumbered - Untitled

Unnumbered - Logging Scene near Guernevi ...

Unnumbered - View Album - Taber inside b ...

Unnumbered - View Album - Taber inside b ...

Unnumbered - View Album - Taber inside b ...

Unnumbered - View Album - Taber back cov ...

#B 589 - The Golden Gate from Telegraph ...

#B 844 - View of San Francisco Bay and A ...

#B 587 - San Francisco Bay.

#B 70 - Palace Hotel, San Francisco, Cal ...

#B 26 - Upper Corridor, Palace Hotel, S. ...

#B 25 - Court, Palace Hotel, S. F., Cal.

#B 524 - Market Street from Third Street ...

#B 525 - Market Street from Second Stree ...

#B 199 - Observatory, Golden Gate Park, ...

#B 549 - Instantaneous View, Beach of Cl ...

#B 463 - The Cliff House, San Francisco, ...

#B 206 - Panorama of San Francisco.

#B 33 - House of Records, S. F., Cal.

#B 31 - Montgomery Street, S. F., Cal.

#B 34 - California Street, S. F., Cal.

#B 531 - California Street from Montgome ...

#B 99 - Mrs. Mark Hopkins and Gov. Stanf ...

#B 13 - Woodwards Gardens, San Francisco ...

#B 512 - Mission Dolores, San Francisco. ...

#B 17 - Kearny Street, San Francisco, Ca ...

#B 54 - U. S. Mint, San Francisco, Cal.

#B 423 - C. P. R. R. Depot, Oakland, Cal ...

#B 195 - Ferry-boat Solano, on the Sacra ...

#B 51 - Hotel Del Monte, Monterey, Cal.

#B 52 - Club House, Hotel del Monte, Mon ...

#B 270 - Monterey Bay, from Hillside.

#B 250 - Main Street, Monterey, Cal.

#B 308 - Old Adobe Building at Monterey, ...

#B 309 - Old Pacific Hotel (Adobe), Mont ...

#B 273 - Moss Grove, Cypress Drive.

#B 264 - Cypress Point.

#B 303 - Carmel Mission, Established 177 ...

#B 1136 - Korbells Ranch, S. F. & N. P. ...

#B 1100 - Sonoma.

#B 1133 - Untitled

#B 1132 - Untitled

#B 1055 - General View of the Yosemite V ...

#B 1003 - View from Glacier Point.

#B 733 - Washington Column and Mirror La ...

#B 1060 - Bridal Veil Falls, 900 feet.

#B 1051 - Cathedral Spires, 2660 feet.

#B 366 - Yosemite Falls.

#B 387 - Mirror Lake, Yosemite Valley.

#B 1042 - Nevada Fall.

#B 1018 - Half Dome, from Merced River.

#B 111 - El Capitan, 3,300 feet, Yosemit ...

#B 788 - Agassiz Column.

#B 815 - El Capitan, Reflected, 3,300 fe ...

#B 831 - Grizzly Giant, 33 feet diameter ...

#B 828 - Grizzly Giant, 33 feet diam.

#B 777 - Sequoia Group, 270 feet high, M ...

#B 129 - Wawona, 27 feet diameter.

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