[Residence of Mr. Howard, San Mateo, California, with Olive Tree]

The density of this enormous tree's branches conveys such monumentality that a viewer hardly notices the charming swing hanging to the right of tree trunk. This small detail reflects the changes that occurred in San Mateo County after 1863, when the railroad completed a connection between San Francisco and the farming village of San Mateo to the south. Formerly rural farms soon gave way to the country estates of California's new wealthy residents. One of those residents, a successful entrepreneur named William Howard, commissioned Carleton Watkins to photograph his lavish estate with its monumental olive tree.