|
| |
Graphics at the Argonaut,
Page 2
Placing
an Order
For assistance or to place an order please click on the
following link to send us an email. Remember to include
full particulars of the item as well as your email
address and/or phone number. Alternatively, you may phone [1] 415-474-9067. Thank you for your
consideration.
Orders: Book_Orders@PacBell.net
MORE PRINTS, PHOTOGRAPHS, & MAPS WILL BE ADDED AS TIME PERMITS
Click on any thumbnail image
to see a larger image
Larger image will open in a new window
A MAGNIFICENT BIRD'S-EYE-VIEW CHROMOLITHOGRAPH
[C. L. CENTLIVRE BREWING CO.]. C. L.
Centlivre Brewing Co., Incorporated. Brewers & Bottlers of Lager Beer. Fort
Wayne, Indiana. Large bird’s-eye-view chromolithograph. 33½ x 47½ inches.
Mounted on art board. A very fine copy. Cincinnati, Ohio: The Henderson
Lithographing Co., (c.1880). $1,750.
A colorful and beautifully lithographed bird’s-eye-view of
this Fort Wayne, Indiana brewery with the nearby river, mansions in the
background and an oval portrait at the lower left, framed by oak leaves, of the
founder, C. L. Centlivre. This handsome lithograph shows the huge glass and
brick brewery, the Victorian style office building, and various other buildings
including the storeroom, wagon shed, the bottling works, and cold storage, as
well as the Centlivre family residence. Along the adjacent streets, clogged with
beer wagons, are two C. L. Centlivre electric street cars. The brewery was
founded in 1862 by Centlivre, an immigrant from the Alsace region of France. By
1888, the brewery was totally rebuilt and by 1894 it became a complex with a
racetrack, picnic grounds, and boating for the people of Fort Wayne.
 RARE GETTYSBURG BATTLEFIELD
PHOTOGRAPH
verso of photograph
[CIVIL WAR]. [Tipton, W. H.].
“View of the Dead at Devil’s Den.” Original Stereographic photograph. 2⅝ x
5¾ inches on slightly larger mount. Photographer’s printed sheet pasted to
verso. Mount lightly soiled. A fine copy. (Pennsylvania: Gettysburg Battlefield,
c.1863).
SOLD
Early photograph showing two Union officers examining the dead
bodies of seven soldiers scattered around the rocks of Devil’s Den on the
Gettysburg battlefield. Devil’s Den is located about 900 yards west of Little
Round Top. It is made up of huge granite formations and steep cliffs and during
the battle provided height and protection for a Union battery placed on the
summit. Eventually the Union troops were outnumbered and forced to retreat. In
the hands of the Confederates, Devil’s Den soon became a haven for Confederate
sharpshooters.
William H. Tipton (1850-1929) was an American photographer noted
for his extensive early photography of the Gettysburg Battlefield. Tipton had
studied photography as the apprentice of Charles and Isaac Tyson, who were among
the earliest Gettysburg photographers. In 1868, Tipton purchased much of the
assets of the Tyson studio and went into business for himself. He established a
studio at Gettysburg and became very popular, becoming famous for taking
thousands of photographs of visitors to the battlefield. This photograph was
probably taken by the Tyson brothers just after the battle and issued later by
Tipton under his imprint. It is identified as image #496 of the series,
Sights and Scenes from the Battle-Field of Gettysburg. This particular
photograph is extremely scarce and is a companion to the much more common image
#497, “Dead at Little Round-Top – position of Berdan’s Sharpshooters.”
RARE
GETTYSBURG BATTLEFIELD PHOTOGRAPH - verso blank
[CIVIL WAR]. Tipton, W. H..
“#600: South-west portion of Cemetery Hill, from which Union Guns has a raking
fire on Confederates in their charge.” Original Stereographic photograph. 3
x 6 inches on slightly larger imprinted mount. Mount lightly soiled. A fine
copy. (Pennsylvania: Gettysburg Battlefield, c.1863).
SOLD
Another early photograph, probably by the Tyson brothers and
issued later by Tipton. The image shows a bearded man with coat standing near
four Union field cannon, most likely used to repel Pickett’s charge on the third
day of the battle. The imprint on the front of the mount reads, “Stereo Gems of
Gettysburg Scenery Photographed by W. H. Tipton, Gettysburg, PA.”
RARE
GETTYSBURG BATTLEFIELD PHOTOGRAPH - verso blank
[CIVIL WAR]. Tipton,
W. H.. “#541: Artillery, opposite Round Top.” Original Stereographic
photograph. 3 x 6 inches on slightly larger imprinted mount. Mount lightly
soiled, small corner section of mount lacking, upper right edge of photograph
slightly wrinkled and separating from mount. A very good copy. (Pennsylvania:
Gettysburg Battlefield, c.1863).
SOLD
Another early photograph, probably by the Tyson brothers and
issued later by Tipton. The imprint on the front of the mount reads, “Stereo
Gems of Gettysburg Scenery Photographed by W. H. Tipton, Gettysburg, PA.” The
title of this image is slightly misleading. It shows a few wagons, field tents,
artillery horses, and soldiers behind the lines of battle.
CALIFORNIA'S MAMMOTH
TREE GROVE, CALAVERAS COUNTY
[MAMMOTH TREE
GROVE]. The Mammoth Tree Grove. Calaveras County. 1855. Hand-colored
facsimile print. 8x14½
inches plus borders and title. Short (half inch) tear to bottom blank border,
lower right corner slightly clipped, but a beautiful copy with wide borders. San
Francisco: John Howell Books, 1935. $125.
A facsimile of the very rare original lithograph. The original image was
sketched by T. A. Ayres, drawn on stone by Kuchel & Dresel, and lithographed by
Britton and Rey. The facsimile offered here was reproduced by the successors of
Britton & Rey in 1935 for John Howell, a San Francisco Bookseller. The facsimile
was issued only in black & white. Our copy has later hand-coloring and is quite
lovely.
RARE BIRD’S-EYE-VIEW OF STOCKTON, CALIFORNIA
[STOCKTON].
Stockton Looking East. San Joaquin
County, Cal. Original Bird’s-Eye-View
lithograph. 24x38 inches. Lithographed in black on white. A fine, crisp copy.
San Francisco: Sketched by C.P. Cook; Lithographed by W.W. Elliott, n.d.
(c.1890). $3,250.
A magnificent bird’s-eye view showing all of the city of
Stockton, California and surrounding country. All of the streets and roads are
labeled. Surrounding the view are 26 insets showing public and commercial
buildings. Includes promotional text for the city as well as an index of
significant buildings and places keyed by number to the view. W.W. Elliott is
best known for his views in a number of the county histories produced in the
1870’s and 1880’s. Unlike many lithographers of similar views of that period,
Elliott had a knack for artistic shading which gave his images a wonderful
quality of depth and clarity. This lithograph is quite scarce and is rarely
offered It is not mentioned in Peters’ California on Stone.
FACSIMILE OF AN ORIGINAL AND VERY
RARE BIRD'S-EYE-VIEW
[SAN FRANCISCO].
View of the Town and Harbour of San Francisco, California from the Signal
Hill. 19¼
x 30 inches. Drawn on stone by W. Boosey from a sketch by Capt. Collinson, R. E.
Lithographed by M. & N. Hanhart. London: Ackermann & Co., 96 Strand, November
12, 1851. $25. [shipping extra]
A facsimile of the extremely rare
bird’s-eye-view originally published in 1851,
reproduced by John Howell Books in 1983 and printed on thick art paper. The
image shows hundreds of abandoned ships in the harbor, viewed from Signal Hill.
“Signal Hill” was what is now Telegraph Hill and was named in the 1850’s after
the erection of a semaphore to announce the arrival of ships. This type of
lithographed view was common from about 1850 through the turn of the century.
Many cities throughout the nation were represented by these bird’s-eye-views,
so-called because they showed a particular city as if viewed from the sky above.
Today, original images are extremely rare and very scarce, and bring thousands
of dollars when offered on the antiquarian market.
Shown here is the city of San Francisco as it looked during the Gold
Rush years. During that period, hundreds of Clippers and other sailing vessels
reached the port of San Francisco. Although considered mutiny, the crews of
these ships abandoned their duties and “escaped” to the gold fields. Thus, about
600 to 900 sailing vessels were abandoned in the Bay. On the East coast, the
ship’s owners simply wrote off the abandoned ships. Eventually, wharfs were
built for access and many of the abandoned ships were turned into warehouses,
saloons, or whatever the enterprising citizenry could think of.
Eventually, the entire area of ships shown in the view was filled in
to expand the boundaries of the city. The abandoned ships were simply scuttled
and filled over. Today, when construction of a new skyscraper is begun in that
area of San Francisco, the initial excavation might certainly hit upon one of
these abandoned and buried ships. At that point, the marine archaeologists come
in and the work on the new building stops until the particular ship is examined
and ultimately excavated.
SAN FRANCISCO
FIREMAN’S CERTIFICATE, 1851
[SAN FRANCISCO FIRE DEPARTMENT].
Curtis, James F. Certificate. Fire Department, City of San Francisco.
4pp. Quarto. Printed and manuscript, with official seal. "Constitution of the
Fire Department of the City of San Francisco" printed on third page. A fine
copy. San Francisco: October 20, 1851. $6,500.
An original San Francisco Fireman’s membership certificate.
Very rare! At this period, San Francisco’s fire engine companies were private.
Curtis arrived in San Francisco in 1849. Little is known about his involvement
with a fire company except that, “He joined a volunteer fire company” (Shumate).
Curtis was on the Executive Committee of the San Francisco Vigilance Committee
of 1851, was San Francisco’s first Chief of Police, and later was involved in
the Civil War. This important document fills in a gap in Curtis’ early career.
He joined the “Howard Hook & Ladder Company, No. 2.” Significantly, that company
was in existence for less than two years before it disbanded in 1852. The
certificate is signed by the newly elected Mayor, Charles James
Brenham (elected May, 1851), by the Secretary of the Department, and by Thomas
K. Battelle, “acting” Chief Engineer (Battelle was acting Chief from August to
November, 1851). This certificate is one of the earliest documents to
incorporate the newly adopted Constitution of the Fire Department of the City
of San Francisco (adopted February 12, 1851). [Shumate, James F. Curtis,
Vigilante: p.14; Soule, Annals of San Francisco: p.624, line 19].
Jump Back to Prints
and Graphics, Page 1
|
