Met Museum The Waking Dream Poster - Carleton Watkins 1993

Artist: Carleton E. Watkins (American, 1829–1916)
Title: Strait of Carquinez, from South Vallejo (1868–69)
Exhibition: The Waking Dream: Photography's First Century
Collection: Selections from the Gilman Paper Company Collection
Institution: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Exhibition Dates: March 25 – July 4, 1993
Country of Print: Printed in USA
Technique: Original photomechanical lithographic museum exhibition poster
Dimensions: 73 x 66.5 cm
Status: Excellent vintage condition, unbacked, pristine sepia and albumen tonal replication
 
About the Poster
This original 1993 Metropolitan Museum The Waking Dream Poster was published in New York to commemorate the landmark exhibition "The Waking Dream: Photography's First Century". The poster replicates Carleton E. Watkins’ pioneering 1868–69 landscape photograph, Strait of Carquinez, from South Vallejo. Taken from an albumen silver print produced via a glass plate negative, the image captures a serene, early industrial California waterfront featuring the historic Mills building extending into the calm waters. The printing brilliantly mirrors the subtle sepia, warm brown, and cream gradients characteristic of 19th-century albumen photography. The lower border features elegant, serif institutional typography detailing the historic exhibition dates and master collection provenance.
 
About the Artist / Institution
Carleton E. Watkins was one of the most influential American landscape photographers of the 19th century, renowned for his monumental large-format views of the American West and Yosemite Valley. His precise documentation played an instrumental role in early environmental preservation and established photography as a fine art form. The Gilman Paper Company Collection is globally recognized as one of the most important private photographic holdings ever assembled, acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2005. The Met, founded in 1870 in New York City, remains one of the world's premier cultural institutions, celebrated for its museum-grade archival printing standards.