Carleton Watkins Daguerreian in the Mother Lode
reflecting off the roofs of buildings is a key element in the daguerreotype of a mining town, possibly Rough and Ready [Fig. 6] and can be compared to the reflected light in Benton Mills [Fig. 21A and 21B]. In addition to light, both pictures share Carleton's favored elevated viewpoint and cultivated interest in the geometry of architecture.
We'll close this chapter with reference to Carleton's Gold Rush era life. In the Sacramento City Directory he listed his occupation as "Carpenter."[33] For reasons already discussed he could not list himself as "photographer." But why "carpenter"? The answer could rest with his family background. His paternal grandfather operated a logging operation and lumber mill. His father trained him in carpentry, and he showed aptitude for this trade as a teenager.[34]
However, lumber was among the materials sold by Huntington & Hammond. It can be speculated that one of Carleton's skills as the vendor's representative was to advise miners in the most effective way to use the materials he delivered. Half a decade later Carleton focused his camera on a lumber mill at the Frémont Las Mariposas mining estate. This image, while less typical of Carleton's mature style than others in the Frémont series, deserves comparison for its subject with the unknown maker daguerreotype showing a lumber mill [Fig. 22A and 22B].[35] We see in the daguerreotype classic Carleton Watkins elements: an elevated viewpoint, three trees anchoring the composition, the scene dappled with light and shade, and two dozen figures orchestrated to vivify the scene, including two loaded wagons and two horseback riders comparable to Benton Mills [Fig. 13]. The daguerreotype shows world-class mastery of the art of photography.
Chapter Thirteen will explore more pairs of daguerreotypes that compare known Watkins images with Gold Rush era daguerreotypes. The comparisons will illuminate a persistent shared understanding of photography as a medium that incorporates abstract considerations of time, space and process.
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End Chapter Twelve:
Daguerreian in the Mother Lode