Photographs of the Middle Fork of the American River and Forest Hill, the Yosemite Valley and Mariposa Big Trees, Coloma and Placerville [graphic]. Oct. 1858-July 1859.

ArchivalResource

Weed, Charles L. Photographs of the Middle Fork of the American River and Forest Hill, the Yosemite Valley and Mariposa Big Trees, Coloma and Placerville [graphic].

Photographs of the Middle Fork of the American River and Forest Hill, the Yosemite Valley and Mariposa Big Trees, Coloma and Placerville [graphic]. Oct. 1858-July 1859.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/82307976

This collection, formerly housed in the Arthur S. Rosenblatt scrapbook, consists of 26 views of mining districts in California's gold country, 17 views of Yosemite, and 5 views of trees in sequoia groves or other forests. To these have been added 3 later copy photographs; 1 of a mining scene and 2 of Yosemite. The mining district views are chiefly from the Middle Fork of the American River, with several of Forest Hill in Placer County. These were made by Weed in October 1858 while employed by Robert H. Vance, and they were collectively promoted as Vance's "American River panorama" (cf. Palmquist, Pioneer photographers of the far west, 2000.) The views taken near Coloma and Placerville may be from different photographic trips. The Yosemite views are considered the first photographs taken in Yosemite Valley and environs. They were taken between June 18 and June 22, 1859, on an excursion described by J.M. Hutchings in his Hutchings California magazine (Oct.-Dec. 1859). At the time of creation, they were known as the "Yosemite Panorama".

3 mounted l. on 2 l. (typescript letters), 1 mounted color drawing, 3 copy photographs, and 48 photographic prints : salted paper prints ; mounts 41 x 51 cm.

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