Carleton Watkins Man Without a Face
“LFC Album").[13] The LFC Album contains approximately three hundred fifty photographs, the majority being halves of stereo pairs showing scenes, mostly in California, with a small number being views of Nevada and Utah, along with some portraits.[14]
Most of the photographs are identified with captions inscribed in carefully formed small block letters that is not Watkins's handwriting [Fig. 13]. The identity of the compiler is unknown, but the same handwriting is believed to be found in captions inscribed on other Watkins photographs.[15] Even if the LFC Album was not captioned by Watkins himself it could not have been created without his knowledge and cooperation.
Approximately half of the LWC Album images can be securely identified as from negatives made by Watkins as they are exact matches to stereo pairs posted on www.CarletonWatkins.org.[16] The earliest negatives in the LFC Album date from late 1864 or early 1865 (Railroad Wharves at Sacramento City, no. 234). Moreover, many of the prints are from New Series negatives thus establishing a date after which the album must have been compiled at late 1874, when the New Series commenced.[17]
Approximately half of the images (including no. 234 above) can be found at www.CarletonWatkins.org in the section devoted to the Pacific Railroad. The negatives for the Watkins Pacific Railroad series--documenting the building of the Central Pacific Railroad--have historically been credited to Alfred A. Hart,[18] but there are reasons why this understanding should be studied further with Hart being
[13] With thanks to Stephan Loewentheil for making the album available for study, and to his associates, Jenny Baggert, Matthew C. Morrocco, and Stacey Lambrow.
[14]Bonham's, San Francisco, 17 Oct. 2006, sale 1423, lot 3477.
[15]Information on examples of the same handwriting found elsewhere is solicited.
[16] For example Watkins stereo nos. 223 (CMP no. 401); 1145 (CMP, 259); 1163; 1174 (CMP, 347); 1399 (CMP, 347), among many others including a reduced copy of CMP 186 for which there is no counterpart stereo.
[17] CMP, Appendix I, pp. 537-538.
[18] Mead Kibbey, The Railroad Photographs of Alfred A. Hart, Artist, Sacramento: California State Library Foundation, 1966.