This project follows the life of one of the first landscape photographers in America, Carleton Watkins. Watkins rose to prominence after the photographs he took of Yosemite Valley in the Summer of 1861. Throughout this story, Carleton battles his inner demons and greedy competitors to prove himself as one of the greatest artists of his time. Unfortunately, the impact of Watkins has been forgotten about. Not only did his photographs inspire countless other artists, but they were also a catalyst in the creation of the Yosemite Grant of 1864, Americas first instance of environmental protection legislation. This grant set a precedent for more environment preservation in America for years to come. Peaks and Valleys is an excerpt of Carleton Watkins’s life and addresses his unparalleled contributions to art and environmental conservation.
","abstract_html":"<p>This project follows the life of one of the first landscape photographers in America, Carleton Watkins. Watkins rose to prominence after the photographs he took of Yosemite Valley in the Summer of 1861. Throughout this story, Carleton battles his inner demons and greedy competitors to prove himself as one of the greatest artists of his time. Unfortunately, the impact of Watkins has been forgotten about. Not only did his photographs inspire countless other artists, but they were also a catalyst in the creation of the Yosemite Grant of 1864, Americas first instance of environmental protection legislation. This grant set a precedent for more environment preservation in America for years to come. <em>Peaks and Valleys</em> is an excerpt of Carleton Watkins’s life and addresses his unparalleled contributions to art and environmental conservation.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Madore, Danny"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Arts in Professional Writing (MAPW)","degree_level":"Capstone","degree_discipline":"English","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Dr. Laura McGrath","Dr. William Rice"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2021,"date_issued":"2021-12-06T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2021-12-06T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:43:51Z","subjects":["Photography","Environmentalism","Yosemite","History","Art","19th Century","Creative Writing","United States History"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/mapw_etd/96","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Dr. Laura McGrath","Dr. William Rice"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Madore, Danny"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2026-12-05T08:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["English"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Capstone"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Arts in Professional Writing (MAPW)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Photography","Environmentalism","Yosemite","History","Art","19th Century","Creative Writing","United States History"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/mapw_etd/96"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["This project follows the life of one of the first landscape photographers in America, Carleton Watkins. Watkins rose to prominence after the photographs he took of Yosemite Valley in the Summer of 1861. Throughout this story, Carleton battles his inner demons and greedy competitors to prove himself as one of the greatest artists of his time. Unfortunately, the impact of Watkins has been forgotten about. Not only did his photographs inspire countless other artists, but they were also a catalyst in the creation of the Yosemite Grant of 1864, Americas first instance of environmental protection legislation. This grant set a precedent for more environment preservation in America for years to come. Peaks and Valleys is an excerpt of Carleton Watkins’s life and addresses his unparalleled contributions to art and environmental conservation.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Peaks and Valleys: The Life and Legacy of Carleton Watkins"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Dr. Laura McGrath","Dr. William Rice"],"dc:creator":["Madore, Danny"],"dc:date.available":["2026-12-05T08:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["This project follows the life of one of the first landscape photographers in America, Carleton Watkins. Watkins rose to prominence after the photographs he took of Yosemite Valley in the Summer of 1861. Throughout this story, Carleton battles his inner demons and greedy competitors to prove himself as one of the greatest artists of his time. Unfortunately, the impact of Watkins has been forgotten about. Not only did his photographs inspire countless other artists, but they were also a catalyst in the creation of the Yosemite Grant of 1864, Americas first instance of environmental protection legislation. This grant set a precedent for more environment preservation in America for years to come. Peaks and Valleys is an excerpt of Carleton Watkins’s life and addresses his unparalleled contributions to art and environmental conservation.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/mapw_etd/96"],"dc:subject":["Photography","Environmentalism","Yosemite","History","Art","19th Century","Creative Writing","United States History"],"dc:title":["Peaks and Valleys: The Life and Legacy of Carleton Watkins"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["English"],"thesis:degree_level":["Capstone"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Arts in Professional Writing (MAPW)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:43:51Z"}