C. CLARKE CHROM Rare Antq 19thC 1873 Chromolitho YOSEMITE VALLEY, CH CROSBY & CO

Description: WELCOME EBAYERS! MEIBOHM FINE ARTS, INC. is pleased to be serving the community and art enthusiasts for over a century. A reputation for personalized attention and customer service is an important part of this family business. Residential and commercial clients benefit from our knowledge of the art world, our experience in quality custom framing and from our extensive inventory. We hope we can be of service to you. Please check back often for our future listings on eBay or put us in your "Favorite Sellers" list. We have thousands of Antique, Vintage, Mid Century & Contemporary Prints, Original Artwork, and Etchings etc, that are in our archives, and most of which have not seen the Light-of-Day in over 75+ years or more. Thank you for looking, happy bidding and good luck!!! -From Grace Meibohm & the Staff at Meibohm Fine Arts, Inc. OUR QUALITY & RARITY CODES: QUALITY CODE: (Note: Older paintings or original artwork of any kind may be rated somewhat differently based on the codes below, due to the normal aging properties of the different mediums used (ex: normal paint cracquelure with older paintings, toning of paper, foxing on older pieces, etc...). · Excellent+Museum Quality, with no damage or visible imperfections. ·ExcellentAlmost perfect given the age w/minimal imperfections,minimal blemishes. ·VeryGoodAbove average w/minor imperfections given the age, or minor blemishes. ·GoodAverage imperfections given the age, or moderate imperfections or wear. ·FairBelow average with more imperfections given the age, or with more wear. ·BelowGradeWith clear imperfections and/or possibly in need of minor restoration. ·BelowGrade-With clear imperfections and/or possibly in need of serious restoration. RARITY CODE: · Rare++Unique, one of a kind, or an original on the open market. ·Rare+Very uncommon and/or very difficult to find on the open market. ·RareUncommon and/or moderately difficult to find on the open market. ·PopularFrequently encountered, common and easy to find on the open market. All Measurements Are In Inches; Height Precedes Width. Note: All items are sold "AS IS/AS DESCRIBED", to the best of our knowledge, research and ability. ITEM DESCRIPTION: Here is an Absolutely Beautiful & Mega-Ultra-Rare Antique 19th Century 1873 Victorian Chromolithograph Depicting a Sweeping Elevated View of the Yosemite Valley in California with Rocky Mountains Surrounding the Green Forested Valley and Merced River, as well as the Bridalveil Waterfall in the Foreground and Three Native American Indians Sitting on a Log Under a Tree on the Rocky Bluff (for scale), and is aptly titled, “Yosemite Valley”, and the painter is unknown/unattributed, though there has been speculation as to who the artist may have been (*See- ‘More About the Chromo & Chromolithographer’ below). As indicated on the Chromolitho, the piece was chromolithographed by, ‘C. Clarke’ whose printed name & title (in the stone) as, ‘C. Clarke Chrom.’ (or Chromo.), appears lower-right in the image area (at a diagonal angle) below-right of the three seated Indians, and is somewhat tough to see and make out as it blends in with the rocky slope, but it is there and does show up on the other chromos in various collections or have been previously sold. Sometimes individual chromolithographers/chromists would add the abbreviated word ‘Chrom.’, ‘Chromo.’ or ‘Chr.’ (or similar) after their name to indicate the specific printer/chromolithographer who printed it, but the possibility does exist that maybe Clarke was also the painter of it as well, and who may have worked as an in-house artist for the publisher of this piece, Charles H. Crosby & Co. along with printing it too perhaps??? See more about the publisher below. At the time, chromolithography was a very tedious and time-consuming process, sometimes taking months of preparation, color separation and final printing, with as many as 20-30+ different litho stones being used to produce one print before a regular print run could be completed—but what a magnificent result it was! About Yosemite: “European-American settlers first entered the valley in 1851. Other travelers entered earlier, but James D. Savage is credited with discovering the area that became Yosemite National Park. Native Americans had inhabited the region for nearly 4,000 years, although humans may have first visited as long as 8,000 to 10,000 years ago… The word “Yosemite” (derived from yohhe'meti, “they are killers" in Miwok) historically referred to the name that the Miwok gave to the Ahwahneechee People, the resident indigenous tribe. Previously, the region had been called “Ahwahnee” (“big mouth”) by its only indigenous inhabitants, the Ahwahneechee. The term “Yosemite” in Miwok is easily confused with a similar term for “grizzly bear”, and is still a common misconception… Concerned by the impact of commercial interests, citizens including Galen Clark and Senator John Conness advocated protection for the area. The 38th United States Congress passed legislation that was signed by President Abraham Lincoln on June 30, 1864, creating the Yosemite Grant. This is the first time land was set aside specifically for preservation and public use by the U.S. government, and set a precedent for the 1872 creation of Yellowstone national park, the nation's first. Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Grove were ceded to California as a state park, and a board of commissioners was established two years later.” (Quoted Excerpts from: Wikipedia) Publisher & Chromo Info: The lithographer/publisher name, type and location, ‘Ch. Crosby & Co. Chromo. Boston, M.’, appears printed lower-middle in the image area near the edge, which is for the well-known lithographer, Charles H. Crosby & Co., Boston, Massachusetts (American, 1824-1898, Lithographers/Printers & Publishers, active 1857-1882) who at the time, was trying to compete with Louis Prang & Co.’s well-known “American Chromos” series of chromolithographic reproductions. See brief publisher biography below. Prang did more to create the market for chromolithographs in the United States than any other publisher and his work greatly influenced other publishers around the country. Clarke’s “Yosemite Valley” was copyrighted by Charles H. Crosby & Co. Lith. in Massachusetts in 1872 & 1873, as well as by D. S. Norris & Co. in 1873 (chromolithographed by Chas. H. Crosby & Co.). There are copies of this chromolithograph at Yale, the Library of Congress and the Bancroft Library, among others. Our Chromo was framed at one point a very long time ago and has some age-related wear & issues (*see full condition report below*), and is being sold loose in “As Is” “As Described” condition. When the Chromo was framed, the framer trimmed back the outer margin edges (typical) which contained the publishing info, date, publisher name and Washington Congressional filing info which would have read, ‘Entered according to act of Congress in the year 1873 by C.H. Crosby & Co. in the office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington’, and there is only a tiny bit of the tops of the printed lettering still visible here & there in what’s left of the tiny outer margin area. The Chromo is printed on a light-medium weight wove paper stock that has a very lightly ‘impressed/embossed’ decorative vertical & horizontal linework made to resemble an oil painting on canvas (as many were back then) and it had a clear surface varnish applied to it when it was first printed that has a light sheen to it. About the Chromolithographer & More About the Chromo: From research, some sources attribute the artist of “Yosemite Valley” to, ‘Charles H. Clarke’, but no further information has been found on him yet from other sources—I personally doubt that attribution, as many of the old lithographers, like the famous printer/lithographer & publisher, Louis Prang, who in addition to having talented in-house staff artists and type/letter artists, had a team of printers working for them that were expert color-separators/chromists, colorists, chromolithographers tasked with fully color-separating & lithographically printing these complex and exquisite chromos. This type of early color lithography/chromolithography was fairly new to America and was just beginning to take a foothold in the artworld here, and especially after the completion of the transcontinental railway that spurred Americans to travel and see the splendor of our beautiful country. These Chromos brought those beautiful scenes of natural wonder & vast panoramas to the general public and afforded them an inexpensive alternative to original paintings which, for the most part were out of reach to most people who couldn’t afford them or didn’t have the means to travel the country—There is another possibility which makes more sense to me as to who the chromolithographer could have been… that it was more-likely the engraver, artist & lithographer, ‘Colin Campbell Clarke’ (Canadian-American, 1841-1914) who was born on July 15, 1841 in Halifax, Nova Scotia to father, Robert Douglas Clarke (1804-1884) and Willhelmina Rebecca DeMolitor (née Davis) Clarke (1810- ) who were married 1827 and the couple had a daughter who died young, Wilhelmina Rebecca Clarke (1872-1828) and he had a younger brother, Harshaw Bayment Clarke (1852-1923). From about 1860, Colin Clarke resided and worked early on in Boston, Massachusetts as an engraver and lithographer, and possibly worked for Charles H. Crosby & Co. as a chromolithographer and possibly staff artist, since he was an engraver and knew the printing trade. By 1871, he also worked in St. John, New Brunswick, Canada and at some point returned to Boston. He was married to Isabelle Stuart (née Irons) Clarke and children included sons, Robert D. Clarke, Charles Frederick Clarke, Colin Stuart Joseph Clarke and daughters, Isabelle Clarke and Kittie M. Clarke. Colin Clarke continued to work as an artist in Boston and other cities in Massachusetts throughout his career and in 1910 he was listed as working for a lithograph company as a designer. Clarke died on September 2, 1914 at the Union Hospital in Lynn, MA and was buried in Springfield, MA. His first name is often misspelled as either ‘Collin’ or ‘Collins’. (Compiled & written by Mark Strong of Meibohm Fine Arts, Inc., East Aurora, NY) This scene of the Yosemite Valley is similar to the Thomas Hill chromolithograph of Yosemite published earlier in 1869 by Louis Prang. It was perhaps copied from Hill’s image with some various alterations so Crosby & Co. could print and market their own version of a ‘Yosemite view’ to eager Americans hungry for enchanting and romanticized vistas of the American landscape to hang as ‘fine art’ in their homes, which were beautifully reproduced by these amazing early lithographers. Size & Condition: The size with a few tiny margins is 14-1/8” x 20”. The Chromolitho is in Fair Rare+ condition for its antique late 19th C. age. This Chromolitho has been in a drawer amongst other lithos & prints since it was purchased by the Meibohm family and hasn’t seen the light-of-day in well over 100+ years and would make the perfect addition to any early Yosemite, National Parks, California or chromolithographic art collection…a rarity indeed! No foxing evident! After being framed for a while way-back-when, the print shows some heavier toning from being wood-backed (acidic) as well as has some moderate color fade from exposure, but still retains enough of some of the warmer color tones (that normally fade first with a lot of UV sun damage), and the colors still present ok for what it is. In addition, the old surface varnish has yellowed somewhat over the years from its antique age which gives the Chromo a mellow look. Ultra-minimal (only a handful or so) of very slight & small crescent-creases scattered here & there on the sheet, with a couple that have caused a little bit of ink-cracking and some small & slight creasing in a couple corners, but all-in-all aren’t bad at all (most creases are noticeable lightly from behind). There are a few small surface nicks & scratches on the front in a few places like the upper-middle-left of the second mountain, and in the lower-left corner area as well as a few tiny other ones here & there and a few tiny other surface blemishes. The back of the Chromo shows a little water/moisture damage along the top & left facing edge, and a few little spots along the right edge and a handful of droplets too scattered here & there, but most of the staining doesn’t show through to the front except a little darkening in the upper-right corner area. There is only one ultra-tiny & completely negligible 3/16” tear on the left edge lower-middle-left, which is repaired from behind with archival tape for protection as well as one ultra-tiny & also completely negligible 1/8” edge-nick on the top edge far-left near the corner, and there is also a little outer edge rubwear from where the inner rabbet of the frame was touching the chromo and which also shows you some of the more-original richer colors the Chromo used to have before the aforementioned color fade—all outer edge issues are completely negligible since they can easily be matted & framed out. This will be hard-packed for safe transport. What a beauty! Don’t miss this rare opportunity to own this early antique chromolitho that depicts one of our most beautiful and protected National Parks! Brief Publisher Biography: Charles H. Crosby & Co., Boston, Mass. (Lithographers, Engravers & Publishers, 1857-1882) was founded by the well-known listed lithographer/printer and engraver, Charles Henry Crosby (1824-1898). AKA C. H. Crosby & Co., Lith., Boston, or Chas. H. Crosby & Co. Locations included: No. 1 Water Street, 13 & 46 Water Street, 159 & 195 Dorchester Avenue. As early as 1847, Crosby was listed as an engraver in Boston, MA and by 1852, he went into the engraving and printing business with Emery N. Moore (1816-1890, active 1852-1856) as ‘Moore & Crosby’ at No. I Water Street, who were specialty printers. The firm advertised type printing, lithography, plate-printing & engraving, lithography in oil colors, as well as designing and engraving on wood. They printed a variety of items such as business cards, invitations, mourning ribbons, portrait & color art lithographs/chromolithographs. A brochure for the Seventh Exhibition of the Massachusetts Charitable Mechanics Association in 1853 lists Moore & Crosby’s exhibit of cards and fancy printing in oil colors, which was a printing style then known in England as, “Baxter’s Oil Colored Printing.” The Association stated that Moore & Crosby were considered the “only operators of this description of printing in this country,” and that the firm's work is “very neatly done,” and recommended it for a Bronze Metal for “succeeding admirably in their efforts.” Moore & Crosby ended up taking the silver medal for their printing. The company later dissolved in 1856 and the following year Crosby opened his own printing business under his name, ‘C. H. Crosby & Co.’ Crosby & Co. and printed a variety of paper products ranging widely in size from business cards to large art prints both in engraving and lithography. To keep up with the market demand, Crosby reportedly ran as many as fifty presses in four locations. His prints helped promote a wide variety of books, chocolates, elixirs, ovens, and locomotive trains, a particularly popular subject that crossed the line between art and advertising. As the Railroad Advocate observed in 1856, “The various locomotive builders are getting up very handsome colored lithographs of their machines. . . . They are the appropriate adornments for the offices of every variety of business connected with railroads.” Crosby was especially known for his use of oil-based inks that lent a rich coloration to his fine chromolithographic prints. He employed numerous skilled artists, engravers, chromolithographers/chromists and proofers, but was a poor businessman who declared bankruptcy several times. In 1882, Crosby sold the company to Bray, Wilkins & Co., Book, Law and Commercial Printers and Blank Book Manufacturers (AKA B. Wilkins & Co., 1882-1897). Crosby continued to work as a lithographer until circa 1889 and later retired to the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston, MA until his passing on September 4, 1898. (Written by Mark Strong of Meibohm Fine Arts, Inc., East Aurora, NY.) PAYING FOR YOUR ITEM: DOMESTIC PAYMENTS: are made via PayPal (Preferred) and WE REQUIRE FULL PAYMENT WITHIN 4 DAYS OF AUCTION CLOSE, otherwise an 'Unpaid Item Dispute' will be opened & filed automatically by eBay. After that time period, we reserve the right to sell the artwork to another buyer or back-bidder and you will also be blocked from any of our future auctions. Note: UPS covers up to the 1st $100.00. Please see 'Our Shipping Policy' below *As a result of the newer sales tax laws, we must collect sales tax on all items (including S&H) that ship to: New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut and all others on the eBay list. 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Price: 449.99 USD

Location: East Aurora, New York

End Time: 2024-12-08T20:36:54.000Z

Shipping Cost: N/A USD