One of Carleton Watkins’ 1860s photographs of Yosemite Valley in California, from a set which sold for $90,000 (£67,165) at Nate D Sanders.
Initially drawn to California by the great gold rush of the time, Watkins instead turned to his photographic skills. Outfitted with both mammothplate and stereoscopic cameras, he embarked in 1861 on his great photographic expedition.
This disbound collection of his photographic plates was contained in a morocco gilt slipcase of the period, titled in gilt letters ‘Watkins’ Yosemite Valley’. They took a low-estimate $90,000 (£67,165).
Pick of Prang
One of the chromolitho plates produced by Louis Prang for the copy of Thomas Moran’s The Yellowstone National Park… sold at Sotheby’s New York for $90,000 (£67,165).
Lacking just one of the 15 splendid chromolitho plates produced by Louis Prang from the original paintings of Thomas Moran, a copy of The Yellowstone National Park, and the Mountain Regions of Portions of Idaho, Nevada, Colorado and Utah of 1876 also seemed quite modestly priced when also sold for $90,000 (£67,165) at Sotheby’s New York (26/20/13.9% buyer’s premium) on January 14-25.
Complete copies have made as much as $320,000 at auction.
