Nearly forgotten but glorious art, envisionings and historical oddments from the back corners of the internet
California landscapes from a bit back in time. Imagery from “California and its resources: A work for the merchant, the capitalist, and the emigrant.” Published and printed in 1858 in London. Ernest Seyd, author (1833-1881). Mr. Seyd was a banker. He appears to have become interested in California and its resources because of the California Gold Rush judging by his introductory remarks, pages 1-11.
THE YO-HAMITE FALLS: the highest Waterfall in the world, First leap, 2100 feet, total height 3100 feet. Edward Lewis and G. Böhm, 18, Coleman Street, London, printers. Lithograph. Frontispiece. Page 6 of Ernest Seyd’s 1858 work California and its resources: A work for the merchant, the capitalist, and the emigrant. Published and printed in London. Collections of the San Francisco Public Library. In the public domain due to age. via https://archive.org/details/californiaitsres00seyd/page/n5/mode/1upVIEW ON CLEAR LAKE. Edward Lewis and G. Böhm, 18, Coleman Street, London, printers. Lithograph. Page 155 of Ernest Seyd’s 1858 work California and its resources: A work for the merchant, the capitalist, and the emigrant. Published and printed in London. Collections of the San Francisco Public Library. In the public domain due to age. via https://archive.org/details/californiaitsres00seyd/page/155/mode/1upTHE YOSEMITE VALLEY: Height of perpendicular rocks from three to 4000 feet. Edward Lewis and G. Böhm, 18, Coleman Street, London, printers. Lithograph. Page 165 of Ernest Seyd’s 1858 work California and its resources: A work for the merchant, the capitalist, and the emigrant. Published and printed in London. Collections of the San Francisco Public Library. In the public domain due to age. via https://archive.org/details/californiaitsres00seyd/page/165/mode/1upTHE ‘MOTHER OF THE FOREST:’ The bark removed up to the height of 116 feet is on exhibition at the Crystal Palace. Wood engraving. Page 177 of Ernest Seyd’s 1858 work California and its resources: A work for the merchant, the capitalist, and the emigrant. Published and printed in London. Collections of the San Francisco Public Library. In the public domain due to age. via https://archive.org/details/californiaitsres00seyd/page/177/mode/1upFARMING SCENE IN NAPA VALLEY. Edward Lewis and G. Böhm, 18, Coleman Street, London, printers. Lithograph. Page 201 of Ernest Seyd’s 1858 work California and its resources: A work for the merchant, the capitalist, and the emigrant. Published and printed in London. Collections of the San Francisco Public Library. In the public domain due to age. via https://archive.org/details/californiaitsres00seyd/page/201/mode/1up
Chromolithographs came along a bit later. These would have hand-colored by women working in their homes, or at least that was the usual thing.
On a voyage to see how much mileage I can get from the creative ability and eye for images that my family thought was useless. On line art curator, fiction writer and now blogger. Historian's daughter. Follow me . . .even I have no idea where I'm going next.
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