William Cary left New York City in 1860 for a trip west with no particular destination in mind. After reaching San Francisco he returned back home, just before the outbreak of the Civil War, with many sketches of what he had seen. He painted scenes from his sketches and from his memory for the rest of his life. Many of his works appeared in Leslie's Weekly and Harper's Weekly.
From the description of Edwin L. McLeod collection of Kern basket photographs, ca. 1910. (Cornell University Library). WorldCat record id: 64063983