Views of California
Page 3
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A fine steel engraving from an illustrated ladies magazine. $75
"Court-House, San José, California." From Harper's Weekly. Ca. 1872. Wood engraving. 6 3/8 x 9 1/8. Very good condition.
A handsome image of the Court House in San José. $45
Prints from Picturesque America. New York: D. Appleton & Co., 1872-1875. Some with full hand color, as illustrated. Very good condition.
A charming series of prints from Picturesque America. This two volume set was the most ambitious of the nineteenth century works illustrating scenes in the United States. These pictures provided some of the only images of distant parts of the United States that were available to much of the general public, especially of the western section of the country. Through their accurate and detailed representations they provide us too with a glimpse of nineteenth century California.
Steel engravings, ca. 5 1/8 x 8:
Wood engravings, ca. 6 x 9:
Beginning just before the middle of the nineteenth century, illustrated weekly newspapers made their appearance. These folio sized papers covered current events of national and international import, printed fiction and poetry by prominent authors, recounted gossip, described popular tourist sites, and generally were filled with stories on any subject that might be of interest to the reading public. The true source of the popularity of these newspapers, however, were the manifold wood engraved prints which graced almost every page of the issues. These pictures provide us today with one of the best sources for lively and informative images of the period. With photographs in a primitive stage, and no television, it is through these illustrations that the public got its visual information about the events, personalities and places of the time. Harper's Weekly was the most famous and popular of the American papers and during the 1890s a number of images of California appeared in it.
Double page image (ca. 15 1/2 x 22):
Warren Cheyney. Yosemite Illustrated in Colors. San Francisco: H. S. Crocker, 1890. Approximately 9 1/2 x 7 (vignettes). Chromolithographs after watercolor and oil sketches by H.W. Hansen and Carll Dahlgren. Very good condition, except as noted.First published in 1890, this beautiful book was the earliest coffee table books to illustrate the wonders of Yosemite. Its was issued as part of a promotion to establish Yosemite as a tourist destination and national park. It features twelve chromolithographs, each with a small poem by Harry Dix, after the paintings of H.W. Hansen and Carll Dahlgren.
H. W. Hansen (1854-1924) was born in Dithmarschen, Germany and studied painting until he emigrated to the United States in 1877. He settled in Chicago to study at the Art Institute. In 1882, he moved to San Francisco and over a period time he made several sketching expeditions to various parts of the West. In general, his paintings were very popular with collectors during the early 20th century and his work, at the time, was favorably compared to Remington.
Carll Dahlgren (1841-1920) was born in Denmark and studied at the Copenhagen Academy of Arts. In 1872, he and his brother immigrated to Salt Lake City. There he worked briefly as an artist- draftsman for the Surveyor General. Five years later he moved to San Francisco and became involved in the San Francisco Art Association. The majority of his work were landscapes but he did a series of street scenes of San Francisco following the earthquake of 1906. His work can be recognized by a shaft of sunlight which is often found in his images. Overall, a wonderful scenic views of the famous National Park.
Each priced at $175, except as noted.
By Carll Dahlgren.
By H.W. Hansen.
Views of California by Kurz & Allison. Chicago, ca. 1895. Ca. 24 x 19. Two-tone lithographs. Very good condition.
The Chicago firm of Kurz & Allison is well remembered for its production of commemorative prints using the latest technological advances. Founded in 1885, their avowed purpose was to design "for large scale establishments of all kinds, and in originating and placing on the market artistic and fancy prints of the most elaborate workmanship." Elaborate they certainly were, and they well represented the artistic taste of their period. Many of the prints from the firm were of the Civil War, but they included other important scenes of American history, some portraits, and a few views, such as these very rare views of California.
A group of ten vignettes of different occupations and activities in the San Francisco area toward the end of the 19th century. They show: Setting a Trap for a Panther; Washing Day; A Sketch in Chinatown--Preparing for a Chinese Festivity; Making a Clearing in the Woods; A Stock Indicator in an Underground Drinking Cellar; A Chinese Lottery; A Bridge in the Redwoods; A Breakdown in the Redwoods; Drying Shrimps for China; A Chinese Fishing Village. Many show Chinese immigrants at work and at leisure. $125
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![Charles Graham. "Sketches at Santa Barbara, Southern California." [Detail]](images/harpstba.jpg){kind=link}
