Historic Yosemite Falls sketch that captivated the nation lands at the Library

Historic Yosemite Falls sketch that captivated the nation lands at the Library | Timeless

In 1855, when Thomas Ayres published the first images of Yosemite Falls, the rest of the country was enchanted. His sketchwork of the Yosemite Valley predated the famous photographs by Carleton Watkins and the monumental paintings by Albert Bierstadt in the 1860s that would cement the valley’s reputation as the romantic dream of the American West incarnate. The Library recently acquired one of Ayres sketches, along with a companion lithograph, preserving them — and their moment in national history — for generations to come.