Mirror Lake and Reflections, Yosemite Valley, Mariposa County, California

Charles L. Weed, Mirror Lake and Reflections, Yosemite Valley, Mariposa County, California, 1865, albumen silver print, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Charles T. Isaacs, 1994.89.5
Copied Charles L. Weed, Mirror Lake and Reflections, Yosemite Valley, Mariposa County, California, 1865, albumen silver print, sheet and image: 15 1⁄2 x 20 1⁄4 in. (39.4 x 51.4 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Charles T. Isaacs, 1994.89.5
Free to use

Artwork Details

Title
Mirror Lake and Reflections, Yosemite Valley, Mariposa County, California
Artist
Publisher
Thomas Houseworth and Co.
Date
1865
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
sheet and image: 15 1⁄2 x 20 1⁄4 in. (39.4 x 51.4 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Charles T. Isaacs
Mediums Description
albumen silver print
Classifications
Keywords
  • Landscape — phenomenon — light
  • Landscape — California — Mariposa County
  • Landscape — valley — Yosemite Valley
  • Landscape — lake — Mirror Lake
Object Number
1994.89.5
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1994.89.5

Artwork Description

Like Carleton Watkins, his better-known competitor, Charles Weed recognized the pictorial dividend to be gained by showing Yosemite’s glorious geological features in duplicate, using the valley’s lakes as reflecting ponds. Weed first traveled to what was then known as “Yo-Semite,” in 1859, but with a relatively small camera. He returned in 1865 with a larger model capable of using what were called mammoth plates. Like Watkins, he sold his prints to buyers eager to own a photograph of majestic natural beauty.


A Democracy of Images: Photographs from the Smithsonian American Art Museum, 2013