Vernal Falls - Yosemite Waterfall Landscape by John Englehart
1890s

About the Item

Vernal Falls - Yosemite Waterfall Landscape by John Englehart (AKA as John Englehardt), (American, 1867-1915). A tall waterfall with rushing water dominates the scene, taking up the majority of the composition. In front of the waterfall, the foreground is comprised of the river and surrounding rocks. Beyond the waterfall, the mountains and sky are rendered in the soft style of an accomplished naturalist painter. Signed "J. Delane" lower right (see further notes below) Many, perhaps all, of these are renderings of scenes in the Lake Tahoe area. A key difference in the signature is that Englehardt included the first initial, J, which John D. Delane included only on his early watercolors, and never on his oil paintings. Additionally, on the Englehardt paintings, the rendering of the signature Delane is notably different from the simple block letter signature which John D. Delane used on his oil paintings. Presented in a deep, antique, wood frame. Board size: 9"H x 7.5"W This piece is signed "J. Delane" but J.J. Englehardt (whom Delane probably had met or knew of in California), signed with Delane's name. For reasons not known, Englehardt signed many of his paintings with names other than his own. Several examples exist of paintings that are clearly by Englehardt, but carry the signature of Delane. Many, perhaps all, of these are renderings of scenes in the Lake Tahoe area. A key difference in the signature is that Englehardt included the first initial, J, which John D. Delane included only on his early watercolors, and never on his oil paintings. Additionally, on the Englehardt paintings, the rendering of the signature Delane is notably different from the simple block letter signature which John D. Delane used on his oil paintings. Joseph John Englehart (1867-1915) was a prolific American landscape painter who painted in realist style. He was born on June 14, 1867 in Chicago, Illinois, and died on April 14, 1915 in Oakland, California. He is noted for his documentation of America's Northwest Frontier at the turn of the 20th century, and for his oil paintings of landmarks such as Yosemite Valley, Mount Hood and Crater Lake. With most of his paintings he consistently avoided effets de soir, choosing the midday light over the romantic quality of lighting effects of sunrise or sunset. Englehart worked under a number of pseudonyms and used variant spellings including J. Engelhardt, J. Englehardt, J. Englehart, J. Engelhart, C.N. Doughty, C.C. Foucks, C.L. Willis, J.L. Monahan, W.L. Willis, WM. J. Schon, J. Lang, J. Gran, J. Grant, J. Cole, J. Enright, J. Hart, Enblhart, Ed Shroder, C. Williams, Joseph John Engelhart and Joseph John Englehart. His career started during the California Art Boom, a period when "the wealth generated (in California) by the Gold Rush, the Railroad, the Comstock Lode, banking, and commerce, created a very favorable climate for artists. Wealthy persons such as the Stanfords, the Crockers, the Hopkins and the rest of San Francisco society were buying art. Landscape paintings of famous places in the West were eagerly bought, and the current doings of the artists, where they were now and what they were painting, was duly reported in the papers and periodicals." (William C. Miesse, The San Francisco Art Boom, visual resource at Mount Shasta) During this time until the turn of the century, Englehart maintained a studio in San Francisco on Clay Street. During those prosperous years he commuted to work from a residence across the bay in Oakland. In the late 1890s, he also traveled and painted the Northwest where he did many landscapes of the Tacoma, Washington area. In 1902, when it appeared that many California collectors preferred European art work to local painters, Englehart decided to change residences and opened a studio in Portland, Oregon. However, he only stayed in that area until 1904, and then via New York City, he returned to California where he settled for the remainder of his life in the Alameda, Oakland area. As stated above, Yosemite was a place where he took his easel, and which made him a part of the populist art which helped preserve much of Yosemite. However, he like other artists taking up the cause, were unable to save the Hetch Hetchy Valley from being damned to created a reservoir to provide water and power for San Francisco. It is said that this sacrificing of magnificent landscape was a great sadness to Englehart. His work is in the collection of the College of Notre Dame, De Young Museum, Nevada Museum and the Oakland Museum.

Attributed to:

John Joseph Englehart (1867 - 1915, American)

Creation Year:

1890s

Dimensions:

Height: 17 in (43.18 cm)Width: 13 in (33.02 cm)Depth: 3 in (7.62 cm)

Medium:

Illustration Board,Oil

Movement & Style:

American Impressionist

Period:

Early 20th Century

Condition:

Very good, some age wear to edges and a small bend to the lower corner glued to consolidate the illustration board. Normal wear to the walnut frame has been touched up, included as is.

Gallery Location:

Soquel, CA

Reference Number:

Seller: DBH78621stDibs: LU54210341742

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