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Chromolithography: The Art of Color
Landscapes
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A wonderful picturesque view of San Francisco Bay in the morning. In the middle of the picture, Hildebrandt pictures Yurba Buena island, a natural outcropping located mid bay. This island today is the connection point for the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. In the background is the East Bay, where the present city of Oakland is located. The viewer is looking across today from about where the Bridge connects to the San Francisco peninsula. Hildebrandt, was born in Gdansk, and made numerous journeys to the Western Hemisphere, Mediterranean, Middle East, India, China, Japan and crossing the Pacific. A very colorful and well executed series of chromolithographs of his journeys were produced most likely in the late 1860s. These chromolithographs were reproduced with great effect to emulate his original watercolor drawings. A serene view from this very rare series. $1,600
Jasper F. Cropsey. "American Autumn, Starucca Valley, Erie R. Road." Philadelphia: Thomas Sinclair, 1865. Chromolithograph by William Dreser. 22 x 31 7/8. Very good condition.
A fine example of mid-nineteenth century American chromolithography. Chromolithography was originally developed to enable printmakers to produce images of the texture and richness of oil paintings. Some of the most important artists of the period, including Jasper Cropsey, William Harnett, and Frederick Church, had their paintings reproduced using this complex medium. This is one of the most successful such projects, with chromolithographer William Dreser, using many layers of color, being able to closely follow the appearance of the original painting. This print is not only superb artistically, but also has a fascinating history. Uranus H. Crosby, of Chicago, built an opera house which he intended to donate to his city. Construction costs ran much higher than expected and Crosby needed to raise funds to finish. He thus held a lottery, the winner of which was the opera house and another prize of which was the original painting of this scene. In order to increase sales, Crosby gave a copy of this print to anyone who purchased at least four tickets. The scene, by Cropsey, shows the Starucca Valley located between the Blue Ridge and the Catskills. It is a wonderful rendering of a northern Pennsylvania scene in the height of autumn. $1,600
Thomas Hill. "Birthplace of Whittier, The Poet." [Haverhill, Mass.] Boston: L. Prang & Co., ca. 1865. Chromolithograph. 17 x 26. Mounted on original canvas and stretcher and in original wood frame. With some small repairs in image. Overall, very good condition and appearance.
There were several levels of quality for Prang's chromolithographs, with the most elaborate published backed on linen and stretcher, as in the case of this excellent print of the home in Haverhill, Massachusetts, where John Greenleaf Whittier was born on December 17, 1807. American views were particular popular subjects for Prang's chromolithographs and this is one of the larger and better quality prints issued by the firm, evidence of the popularity of the home of this American poet and abolitionist. $850
"Narragansett Bay." Boston: J.H. Bufford, ca. 1870. Chromolithograph. 5 1/4 x 6 3/4 image on 8 3/4 x 10 7/8 decorative backing sheet. Backing sheet somewhat brittle and with some stains and other blemishes. Image, very good.
In the second part of the nineteenth century, a number of publishers, led by Louis Prang, issued chromolithographed prints which were intended to duplicate the appearance of oil paintings. This allowed middle class Americans to be able to hang sophisticated looking art on their homes at affordable prices. This is such a print, issued by John H. Bufford from Boston. It shows sailing ships at night in Narragansett Bay. It is mounted on a backing sheet with decorative border, indicating that this lovely image was clearly intended for framing and display. $165
“Lake Chocorhua & White Mts." Ca. 1870. Chromolithograph on canvas. Original frame. Very good condition.
An annonymous chromolithograph of Lake Chocorhua and the White Mountains, probably produced in New England. Similar to a Prang print, the leaves are shown in their autumn splender and this is a charming scene. $375
Benjamin Champney. "Yosemite Valley." Boston: Dodge, Collier & Perkins, 1872. Chromolithograph. 24 1/4 x 15 1/4. Margins trimmed to image and mounted onto original canvas and stretcher as issued. A few small cracks. Otherwise, very good condition. In original period frame. Denver.
An unusual and apparently unrecorded view of Yosemite Valley by Benjamin Champney. Champney is usually synonymous with White Mountain paintings of the 19th century. Most art historians consider him the founder of the White Mountain School of painters who came to North Conway and the surrounding area during the second half of the 19th century. Born in New Ipswich, NH on November 17, 1817, Champney began his training as a lithographer under Pendleton in Boston. He visited the Conway area for the first time in 1838. Champney also studied with Robert Cooke, with whom he went to Paris in 1841, on the advice of Washington Allston. Champney returned to Boston in 1846 and then traveled back to Europe almost at once to paint a panorama of the Rhine River. Once again in Boston in 1848, he exhibited the panorama there and in New York City where the panorama was subsequently destroyed by fire in 1853. In 1850 Champney visited the White Mountains again with his friend John F. Kensett; their enthusiasm and paintings drew large numbers of Boston and New York artists to the Conway area. Champney's studio was a noted resort and was visited by many people from all parts of the country. In 1853 Champney married and bought a house between Conway and North Conway, making this his summer home for over fifty years. In 1854 he again returned to Europe on a painting trip to Germany and Switzerland with Kensett.
At some point is seems that Champney ventured to the west, visiting Yosemite. This was likely to visit an old friend, Thomas Hill, who had moved from the east and established a successful career making paintings of Yosemite. This picture is a classic western scene, with no evidence of Anglo infiltration, for the scene shows the valley with a Native American village and figures on horseback or in a canoe. Champney’s paintings paintings were often used to make chromolithographs that were subsequently sold to tourists who could not afford Champney's originals. Mostly the prints illustrated the White Mountains and many were published by Louis Prang, the leading chromolithographic printmaker of the nineteenth century. Champney’s canvas, “Lake Chocorua and Mountain,” was made into a chromolithograph by Dodge, Collier & Perkins. Little is known about the company other than that they sold frames, put their name on some stereoviews, and produced at least two chromolithographs after Champney. This is the second and it is not only previously unknown, but its lovely tones and charming composition show that Champney’s art translated nicely from the east coast. $4,800
Thomas Moran. "The Cliffs of Green River." [Wyoming.] Premium for The Aldine. New York, 1874. 12 x 16. Chromolithograph. Mounted on original board as issued. Some light touchup in sky. Very good condition. With period frame. Denver.
The Aldine was published from 1868 until 1879 as "the art journal of America." Within its pages were fine commissioned images by such famous artists as Thomas Moran. Like other magazines of the period, The Aldine issued some separate prints as premiums for subscribers, including two fine chromolithographs after Moran that were issued in 1874. One scene was of the West ("The Cliffs of Green River") and one of the West ("White Mountains.") In the promotion for the prints, The Aldine's editors stated that the "chromos are each worked from thirty distinct plates, and are in size (12 x 16) and appearance exact facsimiles of the originals." Moran was quoted as saying "I am delighted with the proofs in color of your chromos. They are wonderfully successful representations by mechanical process of the original paintings." $1,500
Thomas Moran. "White Mountains." Premium for The Aldine. New York, 1874. 11 x 14. Mounted on original board, with original label. With cracks and bend across center of image.
The Aldine was published from 1868 until 1879 as "the art journal of America." Within its pages were fine commissioned images by such famous artists as Thomas Moran. Like other magazines of the period, The Aldine issued some separate prints as bonuses for subscribers, including this fine chromolithograph after Moran. Moran "expressed his entire satisfaction with this reproduction, pronouncing its accuracy, 'wonderful.'" $600
"Across the Rocky Mountains." Cincinnati: William M. Donaldson & Co., 1879. 22 1/2 x 29 1/2. Chromolithograph. Margins trimmed to image as originally issued. Very good condition. In period frame.
A majestic Western scene, produced in chromolithography by the Donaldson company in Cincinnati. This firm specialized in circus posters, but also produced fine chromolithographs for framing and display, such as this dramatic print. The Rocky Mountains are shown towering over a forested valley. Snow, clouds and mist hug the mountain peaks. In the foreground are some Indians pointing as the train bursts thru the tunnel opening. Much of the West was still unknown at this time. The whole scene is a wonderful representation of Manifest Destiny. Man's ability to over come any topographical obstacle and his inevitable quest to conquer the West. Overall a very atmospheric and dramatic image of the Rocky Mountains. $2,600
Andrew W. Melrose. "Lake George." [Sabbath Day Point/Roger's Slide]. Washington: A. Melrose, ca. 1885. 21 1/2 x 35 1/2. Chromolithograph by Raphael Tuck and Sons. Margins trimmed to image as issued. Vibrant colors. Very good to excellent condition. In period frame.
Andrew Melrose (1836-1901) was an artist of American landscapes. He had studios in Hoboken and Guttenburg, New Jersey during the 1870s and 1880s. He is particularly known for his paintings of views from North Carolina to New England, though he also produced images of Ireland, the Tyrol and Cornwall, England. This lovely and colorful Adirondack scene shows the area of Sabbath Day Point, near the present day town of Hague, New York. The view is looking north. In the background, on the left is Roger's Slide. In foreground, is a cabin with people unloading provisions on the shore. In the middle distance a flat bottom boat is ferrying people to another location on the lake. Melrose published a number of large chromolithographs after his paintings. Many artists tried selling these large and colorful prints to make extra money and to help establish their reputations. This is an excellent example of nineteenth century chromolithography used to reproduce American paintings. $3,200
Andrew W. Melrose. "Mills and Dales of New England." Washington: A. Melrose, ca. 1885. 21 1/2 x 35 1/2. Chromolithograph by Raphael Tuck and Sons. Vibrant colors. Margins trimmed to image as issued. Small portion of lower right hand corner missing. Otherwise, very good condition.
This Melrose image shows a typical New England valley, with boaters and picnicers along side a stream passing by a charming New England village. $2,400
"Bridal Veil Falls." From Warren Cheyney. Yosemite Illustrated in Colors. San Francisco: H. S. Crocker, 1890. Approximately 9 1/2 x 7 (vignette). Chromolithograph after watercolor and oil sketch by H.W. Hansen. Very good condition. Denver.
First published in 1890, the beautiful book from which this print comes 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. $175
Go to a complete listing of images from this series on Yosemite
Thomas Moran. "Grand Canyon of Arizona From Hermit Rim Road." Chicago: Atchison Topeka & Santa Fe Railway System, 1913. 25 1/2 x 35 1/4. Chromolithograph by Gustave Buek for the American Lithographic Co. Mounted to board without margins, as issued. Top 1" of sky trimmed. Otherwise, very good condition and appearance. In lovely wood frame. Ref: Joni Louise Kinsey. Thomas Moran and the Surveying of the American West, 1992.
A spectacular American chromolithograph of Thomas Moran’s famous image of the Grand Canyon from the Hermit Rim. Moran is one of America’s best painters of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, and he is particularly known for his luminous paintings of the American west. Moran was born in England in 1837 and immigrated to the U.S. with his family in 1844. Moran trained in England and Europe, but his best work is rooted in the natural wonders of his adopted country.
Moran accompanied the 1871 Ferdinand V. Hayden expedition to the Yellowstone, and upon his return he produced a superb group of watercolors which Boston publisher Louis Prang turned into 15 chromolithographs which he issued in a portfolio limited to 1,000 copies. The success of these marvelous prints inspired Moran to head west again two years later. In 1873 he joined John Wesley Powell, who had navigated the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon in 1869, on another expedition to the Grand Canyon. This trip resulted in a painting taken from the Kaibab Plateau on the north rim, which in turn was turned into this stunning chromolithograph.
The promotion of the Grand Canyon was pursued by corporations that stood to profit from their association. The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway looked to art as one of many ways to increase the number of passengers on its railways. For many years the company was the only direct route to the Grand Canyon. Along with Moran, the company also financed other artists to visit the area to paint. In this way the Company acquired a large collection of original art to decorate stations, offices and hotels. Some of the paintings were reproduced on letterheads, ink blotters and chromolithographs, which were distributed to passengers as souvenirs or printed as public advertisements. Moran’s original painting is still in the possession of the company. However, the Santa Fe did not acquire the painting directly from Moran, but purchased it from the American Lithographic Co., who had bought it from Moran’s Chicago dealer. For the sum of $4,000 the railroad received the oil and reproduction rights along with 2,500 chromolithographs that the Passenger Department distributed. This grand image was also reproduced in the company’s annual calendars for many years. The American Lithographic Co. also produced an earlier and equally excellent chromolithograph in 1892 of a different Moran view of the Grand Canyon. $4,500
Another example of the Moran Grand Canyon image, but this with some fading and discoloration from varnish. Still a nice example of this classic print. $2,800
Continue with chromolithograph landscapes
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