Carleton E. Watkins
Multnomah Falls, Cascades, Columbia River

Public Domain

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Artist Carleton E. Watkins(American, 1829–1916)American, 1829–1916

CultureAmerican

Titles

Multnomah Falls, Cascades, Columbia River

Date1867

PlaceOregon, United States

MediumAlbumen silver print from glass negative

DimensionsImage: 20 11/16 × 15 3/4 in. (52.5 × 40 cm)
Sheet: 20 11/16 × 15 3/4 in. (52.5 × 40 cm)
Mount: 26 15/16 × 21 7/16 in. (68.4 × 54.5 cm)

Credit LineMuseum purchase funded by the Photography Subcommittee and the Director's Accessions Endowment

Object number89.376

Not on view

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Department

Photography

Object Type

PHOTOGRAPHS

DescriptionLacking
the long history, ancient ruins, and impressive urban centers of Europe,
19thcentury American photographers turned to the natural, wooded cathedrals of
the Western landscape to celebrate
American individuality. Carleton Watkins was one of the leading photographers
of the American West. In 1867 he began a series of photographs along the
Columbia and Willamette rivers in Oregon, which resulted in more than 60
mammothplate negatives. This example of Multnomah Falls captures the entire
twotiered, 620foot fall of water framed by towering, ancient trees, a
breathtaking vista of pristine natural forms unique to the western United
States.
Provenance[Fraenkel Gallery, San Francisco]; purchased by MFAH, 1989.
Exhibition History"Past/Present: Photography from the Permanent Collection of The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston," Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, December 8, 1991–February 9, 1992.

"American Photography: A History in Pictures," San Antonio Museum of Art, April 21–July 31, 1994.

"The American Landscape East to West: Themes in Painting and Photography, 1780-1910," Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, September 6, 2003–January 19, 2004.

Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks

Inscribed in ink on mount recto, bottom center beneath image: Multnomah Falls // Cascades, Columbia River.

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

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