"A Group Of California Indians" Wood Cut Engraving. C 1856. Very Rare. Americana
Located in Incline Village, NV
This is a very rare and important original image of early Western Americana, or more specifically, "Californiana". Mid 19th century and researched to have been engraved in 1856, it captures, in incredible detail, a group of twelve Native American Indians with a baby in a papoose, gathered together in front of their hanging tools, baskets, implements and weaponry behind them on a "tent like" backdrop. There are men, women, young, and elderly. It is a signed wood cut engraving applied in ink by well known wood cut engraver of the mid 19th century, William J. Peirce (active 1851-1879). It is in excellent all original condition with no additions, no restoration of any kind and it is housed in it's original 1 1/2" double beveled wooden birds eye maple veneered frame with a gilt 1/2" filet interior border.
"A Group Of California Indians" is engraved at the base along with a non-descript notation "For description see page 381" which appears in the margin, in addition to an illegible signature. Both these line items are also noted by the New York Public Library, where a digital example exists from the esteemed collection of "The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division Picture Collection", which was assembled in 1986 and recently digitalized.
The Library of Congress also memorializes this image and theirs is similarly a digital image. My example came out of the Grant Smith Collection of "Californiana", as is noted on the back of the framed engraving. He was located at Main Street in Bolinas, California (see images on the rear for provenance). Research reveals that he was a direct descendant of the coastal Miwok people who built a settlement in the Bolinas lagoon area.
The engraving is referenced in both the New York Library and The Library of Congress as "A Group of California Indians". It is one of the earlier images you will find, along with McKenny and Hall lithographed mages of Native American Indians; and because of it's subject matter and extreme rarity, "A Group Of California Indians" commands attention and interest from the Western art collectors' arena. California became a state on September 9, 1850 making this one of the earliest known images (Circa 1856) of "Californiana" and California Native American...
Category
1850s American Native American Antique Engraved Furniture
