Watkins, Carleton E., 1829-1916
Dates
- Existence: 1829 - 1916
Biography
Carleton Watkins (1829-1916) was an American photographer known especially for his photographs of Yosemite.
Carleton Watkins was born on 11 November 1829 to John and Julia Watkins in Oneonta, New York. He moved to San Francisco with Collis Huntington in 1851 in hopes of finding gold. In San Francisco, he met Robert Vance and began working in his photography studio. He began his own photography business in 1858. He became famous for his many photographs of Yosemite throughout his career. He married Frances Sneed in 1878 and had two children: a daughter, Julia, in 1881 and a son, Collis, in 1883. He began to lose his sight in the 1890s and was thereafter unable to continue his work. He died in 1916.