Joseph Roy Willis

20th century color lithograph postcard indigenous figures landscape rock sky

1937

In the mid-nineteenth century, the United States government set out to survey and document its newly acquired lands and territories west of the Mississippi. The goals of these surveys were manifold: to produce topographical maps, to document flora and fauna, and to document natural resources to build the emerging US economy. These surveys, and the images from them, also functioned to build the new sense of American identity with the landscape, condensing vistas into the 'picturesque' tradition of European image making. Thus, the entire span of US territory could be seen as a single, cohesive whole. This lithograph comes from one of six surveys commissioned by the Army's Topographic Bureau in 1853, which sought to find the best route to construct a transcontinental railroad. The result was a thirteen-volume report including maps, lithographs, and technical data entitled 'Explorations and Surveys to ascertain the most practicable and economical route for a Railroad from the Mississippi river to the Pacific Ocean.' In particular, the print comes from the northern survey, commanded by Isaac Stevens, which explored the regions between the 47th and 49th parallels. In this image, Stanley shows an encampment of the people known as the Red River of the North hunters. They were generations of European and mixed-race trappers who lived on the frontier and had Indian wives and mixed-race children. They had come to the area for bison hunting, as the herds were still vast on the prairies. In the image, the figures and their encampment are dwarfed by the vast landscape around them, indicating the sublimity of these new American territories. 5.75 x 8.75 inches, image 6.5 x 9.25 inches, stone 17 x 20 inches, frame Artist 'Stanley Del.' lower left Entitled 'Camp Red River Hunters' lower center margin Publisher 'Sarony, Major & Knapp. Lith.s 449 Broadway N.Y.' lower right Inscribed 'U.S.P.R.R. EXP. & SURVEYS — 47th & 49th PARALLELS' upper left Inscribed 'GENERAL REPORT — PLATE XII' upper right Framed to conservation standards using 100 percent rag matting with French accents; glazed with UV5 Plexiglas to inhibit fading; housed in a gold reverse ogee moulding. Print in overall good condition; some localized foxing and discoloration; minor surface abrasions to frame. John Mix Stanley...

The present hand-colored lithograph presents the viewer with a hunting scene in a picturesque landscape. In the foreground, a man approaches two partridges as his two pointers prepare to flush them out. Beyond, a white fence draws our eyes to the homestead in the distance. Images like this one show how people in the United States were trying to identify themselves as a new nation in the North American landscape - as separate from their European counterparts but with similar similar and specific wildlife and magesties of nature. It also identifies hunting in this landscape as an American pastime. 9.25 x 12.5 inches, artwork 18.38 x 22 inches, frame Entitled bottom center "Partridge Shooting...

"Little Crow-Sioux" is an original lithograph created by Leonard Baskin. This is a proof purchased directly from the artist. Baskin signed the work in the lower right margin and lab...

"Dauphine" is an offset lithograph of a pastoral landscape created by Paul Kelsch for the Societe Nationale des Chemis de fer Francais, the French National Railways. 24" x 39" paper 30 1/2" x 21 1/8" image 48" x 33" frame Small hole in each corner, crease in paper and image upper left, small holes lower left. The SNCF, the French National Rail system, commissioned multiple posters to advertise and celebrate the connected locations on their routes after the Second World War. "Dauphine", created by Paul Kelsch, showcases a small village at the foot of a mountain bathed in the light of a sunset. Kelsch's technique employed impasto brush strokes and bright colors to capture the beauty of the landscape. This scene is in stark contrast to the destruction that the war had wrought in this area during the 1944 invasion. Because of this, the set of posters...

German chromolithograph of native American tribes. Circa 1895. Each portrait is numbered.

German chromolithograph of native American tribes. Circa 1895. Each portrait is numbered.

Beautiful set of 6 photo prints of American Indians.

German chromolithograph of native American artefacts. Circa 1895.