Two albumen photographs by Isaiah West Taber of San Francisco appear on opposite sides of a single album leaf, both depicting the famous Wawona tunnel tree in Mariposa Grove, Yosemite. The images date from the 1880s or 1890s, when Taber's studio was one of the most prolific producers of large-format California scenery views for the tourist trade.

The front image, catalog number B 983, frames a small octagonal visitor cottage and split-rail fence between the towering flanks of two giant sequoias, with a figure visible at the base of the left tree and a row of conifers rising against an open sky behind the structure. The reverse image, catalog number B 2453 titled "Section of 'Wawona,'" shows a horse-drawn carriage with passengers passing directly through the tunnel cut into the base of the Wawona tree, the dirt road converging toward the opening, dense sequoia forest flanking both sides.

The Wawona tree, a giant sequoia in Mariposa Grove, had its tunnel cut in 1881 to allow stage traffic and became one of the most photographed subjects in the American West before falling in 1969. Taber's imprint reading "Taber Photo., San Francisco" appears in the lower border of each image. The album page measures 8 1/2 by 12 1/4 inches, with each image approximately 4 3/4 by 7 1/4 inches.

From the collection of James Lee Soffer