Interior view of a long exhibition hall hung with pennants, bunting, and American flags, its aisles lined with display tables and cases holding bottled goods, packaged coffee, framed prints, and advertising placards for firms including Bennett's Ale & Porter, Carmen Island Salt, and Kohler & Frohling wine. The high roof trusses and skylights of the hall are visible above the rows of merchandise, with additional signage for coffee roasters, builders, and general merchants suspended overhead. The composition documents a commercial trade fair, with the double stereo image showing the same aisle from two slightly offset vantage points for three-dimensional viewing.
The yellow mount, imprint style, and copyright notice for the year 1867 correspond to known stereoviews issued by Carleton E. Watkins from his gallery at 425 Montgomery Street, San Francisco, and the subject matter is consistent with his documented views of the Mechanics' Institute Industrial Exhibition held in that city.
Photographer/publisher: C. E. Watkins
Period/date: 1867
Dimensions: 175 x 85 mm
Condition: Good; yellow mount showing surface soiling, scattered light foxing, and staining, with a small chip and abrasion at the upper left corner. The albumen prints show overall fading and slight yellowing consistent with age, with stable adhesion to the mount and no significant tears.
Reverse: PHOTOGRAPHIC VIEWS OF THE PACIFIC COAST, FOR THE STEREOSCOPE, ALBUM, AND FRAMING, Photographed and Published by C. E. WATKINS, 425 MONTGOMERY STREET, SAN FRANCISCO.
Keywords: USA, San Francisco, Mechanics' Institute Fair, albumen stereoview, Carleton Watkins
Photographer Biography:
Carleton E. Watkins (1829-1916) was active as a photographer in California from the early 1860s through the 1890s, operating his Yosemite Art Gallery at 425 Montgomery Street, San Francisco.
He is best known for mammoth-plate and stereoscopic views of Yosemite Valley, which contributed to the 1864 legislation protecting the site.
In addition to landscape work, Watkins photographed San Francisco subjects, including trade and industrial exhibitions held by the Mechanics' Institute.
In 1867 he received a bronze medal for his Yosemite views at the Paris International Exposition.
Financial difficulties led to the loss of his studio and negatives in the mid-1870s, prompting him to rebuild his catalogue under a 'New Series' of views.
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