Public data from the Cleveland Museum of Art. Learn more
Cathedral Rocks and Reflections, Yosemite
About the Artwork
In 1859, Charles L. Weed made the first photographs of the Yosemite region. Using the wet collodion process, he produced 40 stereoviews and some 20 large (10 x 14 inches) glass negatives. His pioneering photographs informed future visitors and artists of the region's scenic splendors. About five years later, in 1864, he returned to create his remarkable mammoth plate views (approximately 17 x 22 inches) of the valley. This image of Cathedral Rocks is among the best examples of Weed's ability to combine sublime subject matter with observation. With graceful precision, he captured the complex landscape, fully reflected in the mirror-like surface of the lake's calm water.
Inscriptions
Written in pencil on verso: "Cathedral Rocks & Reflections"; "E.B. Child, 1939 / Cathedral Rocks & Reflections / Yosemite, CA"
Provenance
New York Historical Society
Exhibition history
Legacy of Light: Master Photographs from the Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 24, 1996-February 2, 1997). Changing Visions of the North American Landscape. Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin, OH (organizer) (October 24, 2000-January 28, 2001). Icons of American Photography: A Century of Photographs from the Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 24-September 16, 2007).
Quick Overview
- Artist
- Charles Leander Weed (American, 1824–1903)
- Date
- 1864
- Medium
- albumen print from wet collodion negative
- Dimensions
- Image: 51.9 x 39.9 cm (20 7/16 x 15 11/16 in.); Paper: 70.8 x 55.4 cm (27 7/8 x 21 13/16 in.); Matted: 76.2 x 61 cm (30 x 24 in.)
- Type
- Photograph
- Classification
- Photograph
- Department
- Photography
- Credit line
- Jo Hershey Selden Fund
- Accession no.
- 1995.78
More by Charles Leander Weed in museum collections
Data retrieved from the Cleveland Museum of Art on October 8, 2026. The museum may have updated its record since.
Open-access museum record · AT-00012921
Powered by Art Trackers