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Photo, Print, Drawing Mirror Lake, Yosemite

[ digital file from original photograph ]

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[ digital file from color film copy transparency ]
[ digital file from b&w film copy neg. ]

About this Item

Title

  • Mirror Lake, Yosemite

Summary

  • Photo shows reflection of trees and mountains on Mirror Lake, Yosemite National Park, Calif. Exhibit caption: Carleton Watkins, an early photographer of Yosemite, captured this pristine view of Mirror Lake while most of the country was engaged in the Civil War. One of the best landscape photographers of the 19th century, Watkins used the cumbersome, demanding technology of his era, which required large glass wet plate negatives, and produced some of the most stunning images of this extraordinary wilderness. His views are credited with inducing members of Congress to pass legislation in 1864 that required California to protect the area from development. Abraham Lincoln signed the bill and was also reported to have been very taken with the beauty of the images. Subsequent efforts by landscape designer Frederick Law Olmsted and naturalist John Muir resulted in Yosemite being proclaimed a national park in 1890.

Names

  • Watkins, Carleton E., 1829-1916, photographer

Created / Published

  • [ca. 1865]

Headings

  • -  Reflections--1860-1870
  • -  Mountains--California--1860-1870
  • -  Lakes & ponds--California--1860-1870
  • -  Trees--California--1860-1870
  • -  Yosemite National Park (Calif.)--1860-1870

Headings

  • Albumen prints--1860-1870.
  • Landscape photographs--1860-1870.
  • Mammoth plates--1860-1870.

Genre

  • Landscape photographs--1860-1870
  • Mammoth plates--1860-1870
  • Albumen prints--1860-1870

Notes

  • -  Plate 2.
  • -  Published in: The Joy of Looking: Great Photographs from the Library of Congress, 2023.

Medium

  • 1 photographic print : albumen ; 52.1 x 39.9 cm (photo), 68 x 54.7 cm (mount)

Call Number/Physical Location

  • LOT 4590, no. 1 [P&P]

Repository

  • Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.print

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 95514320

Reproduction Number

  • LC-DIG-ppmsca-09982 (digital file from original photograph) LC-USZC4-842 (color film copy transparency) LC-USZ62-46914 (b&w film copy neg.)

Rights Advisory

  • No known restrictions on publication.

Online Format

  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

Rights & Access

More about Copyright and other Restrictions

For guidance about compiling full citations consult Citing Primary Sources.

  • Rights Advisory: No known restrictions on publication.
  • Reproduction Number: LC-DIG-ppmsca-09982 (digital file from original photograph) LC-USZC4-842 (color film copy transparency) LC-USZ62-46914 (b&w film copy neg.)
  • Call Number: LOT 4590, no. 1 [P&P]
  • Access Advisory: ---

Obtaining Copies

If an image is displaying, you can download it yourself. (Some images display only as thumbnails outside the Library of Congress because of rights considerations, but you have access to larger size images on site.)

Alternatively, you can purchase copies of various types through Library of Congress Duplication Services.

  1. If a digital image is displaying: The qualities of the digital image partially depend on whether it was made from the original or an intermediate such as a copy negative or transparency. If the Reproduction Number field above includes a reproduction number that starts with LC-DIG..., then there is a digital image that was made directly from the original and is of sufficient resolution for most publication purposes.
  2. If there is information listed in the Reproduction Number field above: You can use the reproduction number to purchase a copy from Duplication Services. It will be made from the source listed in the parentheses after the number.

    If only black-and-white ("b&w") sources are listed and you desire a copy showing color or tint (assuming the original has any), you can generally purchase a quality copy of the original in color by citing the Call Number listed above and including the catalog record ("About This Item") with your request.

  3. If there is no information listed in the Reproduction Number field above: You can generally purchase a quality copy through Duplication Services. Cite the Call Number listed above and include the catalog record ("About This Item") with your request.

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Access to Originals

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  1. Is the item digitized? (A thumbnail (small) image will be visible on the left.)

    • Yes, the item is digitized. Please use the digital image in preference to requesting the original. All images can be viewed at a large size when you are in any reading room at the Library of Congress. In some cases, only thumbnail (small) images are available when you are outside the Library of Congress because the item is rights restricted or has not been evaluated for rights restrictions.
      As a preservation measure, we generally do not serve an original item when a digital image is available. If you have a compelling reason to see the original, consult with a reference librarian. (Sometimes, the original is simply too fragile to serve. For example, glass and film photographic negatives are particularly subject to damage. They are also easier to see online where they are presented as positive images.)
    • No, the item is not digitized. Please go to #2.
  2. Do the Access Advisory or Call Number fields above indicate that a non-digital surrogate exists, such as microfilm or copy prints?

    • Yes, another surrogate exists. Reference staff can direct you to this surrogate.
    • No, another surrogate does not exist. Please go to #3.
  3. If you do not see a thumbnail image or a reference to another surrogate, please fill out a call slip in the Prints and Photographs Reading Room. In many cases, the originals can be served in a few minutes. Other materials require appointments for later the same day or in the future. Reference staff can advise you in both how to fill out a call slip and when the item can be served.

To contact Reference staff in the Prints and Photographs Reading Room, please use our Ask A Librarian service or call the reading room between 8:30 and 5:00 at 202-707-6394, and Press 3.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Watkins, Carleton E, photographer. Mirror Lake, Yosemite. Yosemite National Park California, ca. 1865. Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/95514320/.

APA citation style:

Watkins, C. E., photographer. (ca. 1865) Mirror Lake, Yosemite. Yosemite National Park California, ca. 1865. [Photograph] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/95514320/.

MLA citation style:

Watkins, Carleton E, photographer. Mirror Lake, Yosemite. Photograph. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/95514320/>.