The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 17, 2025

Cathedral Rocks and Reflections, Yosemite

1864

Charles Leander Weed

(American, 1824–1903)
America
albumen print from wet collodion negative
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.)
Jo Hershey Selden Fund 1995.78
Location: Not on view

Description

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.
  • New York Historical Society
  • Cleveland Museum of Art, “The Cleveland Museum of Art Acquires Major Works,” December 20, 1995, Cleveland Museum of Art Archives. archive.org
    Cleveland Museum of Art, Tom E Hinson. Catalogue of Photography. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1996. Reproduced: P. 370
  • 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).
    The Cleveland Museum of Art (6/24/07 - 9/16/07); "Icons of American Photography: A Century of Photographs from the Cleveland Museum of Art", no exhibition catalogue.
    Changing Visions of the North American Landscape. Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin, OH (organizer) (October 24, 2000-January 28, 2001).
    CMA, November 20,1996 - February 2, 1997: "Legacy of Light: Master Photographs from the Cleveland Museum of Art."
    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).
  • {{cite web|title=Cathedral Rocks and Reflections, Yosemite|url=false|author=Charles Leander Weed|year=1864|access-date=17 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1995.78