Wells Fargo Pony Express Assay Office Mining Folsom George Mathis Print 1970s

Description: Wells Fargo Pony Express Assay Office Mining Folsom George Mathis Print 1970sCondition is Great and Clean. Image Size, 10” X 14”, sheet size 11.5 X 17.5"Palmer and Day were California Assayers. The pair began in Folsom in 1860 where Palmer established an assay office and Wells Fargo Express office. In April of 1860 the Palmer and Day assay office also became the terminus for the Pony Express. I have sold at least 40 George Mathis pieces of art on ebay over the last fifteen years, I am also a collector of his works. I am always looking for a new pieces for my collection or to sell in my store. Buying a piece from me you are assured and guaranteed of authenticity. Payment Terms: I accept credit card via PayPal. Shipping Terms. High bidder pays winning bid plus USPS MAIL. Insurance extra email for quote after auction ends. Refunds, Returns: If you are not satisfied upon receipt, you may return it to me for a full refund of the bid and shipping. Will combine shipping with other items. From an old Friday House Gallery Brochure “About the Prints, There’s always a bit of confusion concerning the manner in which a two-dimensional piece of art is reproduced. The term “print” can be correct when used with serigraphy, etching, lithography or offset reproduction. The “prints” at Friday House Gallery are offset reproductions from an original pencil sketch and are reproduced in an unlimited number most often. An original pencil sketch on paper or illustration board is photographed on a process camera, producing a negative from which the plate is made. That plate goes on our offset printing press and multiple prints are made whenever needed. The way you can tell the difference between and offset reproduction and a true lithograph, serigraph, etching, etc, is to look at the piece under magnification… if there is a mechanical dot pattern (like the photos in a newspaper) it is an offset reproduction in all common cases. Many reproductions today are touted as “lithographs” when in reality they are offset reproductions. Our prints are printed by the family in the gallery’s workshop. They are printed in black ink on white paper. These are then titled and signed in pencil (a studio signature) to extend the artists touch.” “About the original pencil sketches, George Mathis created more than 200 pencil sketches focusing on California past. These remain in the Mathis family collection and are not available for purchase” Note now in the collection is at Washington State University. George Mathis Pictorial Historian of the Mother Lode. George Mathis was generally and affectionately known as the “pictorial historian of the Mother lode”. Because of his interest in the history of the Gold County area, his desire to be authentic and his exceptional talent, the title was well deserved. Pictorial illustrations became his greatest talent and reflected in his original lithographs and prints from his original pencil sketches. The proofs from the original lithographs were from stone presses but were engraved at the site on a stone substitute. The Miners cabin a favorite subject delighting children and adults. On a Sunday afternoon in the artist’s studio, George would sketch one of these for visitor, telling a story while he drew a miner’s cabin… a white cat in the doorway waiting for his master, smoke coming from the chimney because there were beans cooking on the back of the stove, a nest of birds, and a few clumps of granite. The sketch took just minute and then was presented to the youngest member of the family. It was not unusual to receive a child’s version of a miner’s cabin sketch as a return gift. The cabin sketch was developed to show how the technique worked. George made it look easy. About the Water Colors: Spokane, Washington is the birthplace of Jean Mathis. She became a Californian later at the age of 19 where her talent for marionette construction and theater led her to conducting classes at one of Oakland’s department stores. Jean attended art school part time and here a romance with fellow art student, George Mathis, developed. Jean and George married in 1963-a marriage that resulted in a bipartisan art and craft-continuing through the years. Jean has a deft touch for many activities. She was once a linotypes and columnist for a newspaper, designed domestic architecture, and one of her doll designs won national recognition in McCall’s Magazine. There’s a special gift for dried flower arrangements, ceramic modeling and costume design. Watercolor excellence was accomplishment developed to compliment her husband’s historical illustrations. These watercolored subjects have become one of the west’s most popular records of western history. The heritage is Currier and Ives but George/Jeans Mathis results are a dimension of their own for collector or history fan. Author Note: (On some prints one might see in the lower right corner the writing W/C, J. M. this means that Jean Mathis handcolored that print.) Sketching The Mines: George’s love affair with mountains was enhanced when he moved to Nevada City. Here he could combine his talent with his bent on history while he explored high places. The Northern Mines were a bonanza he sketched his way through them. Young American Mine on Sardine Lake only offered exciting remnants of history but the majestic Sierras were the back drop- a place to recapture the aura of the fabulous gold rush era. Old Kentucky Mine, on the skirts of Sierra City, is now a museum but when George was there [50] years ago Sierra City boosted two bars and one old time hotel. Now it has been discovered. Yuba River County could be any spot along a mountain river but this abandoned mine shaft is just south of Downieville. Settlements mushroomed near any gold strike-some lived and grew but most faded into history. Alleghany, still just a wide spot off a cliff-side road, was the scene of great expectations in the 1850’s. The Empire Mine in Grass Valley and Ott’s Assay Office in Nevada City were among the first subjects for George’s sketch pad. It was after he moved to Coloma that he discovered the stamp mill site of Ruck a Chucky Mine and noted sadly that some time would demolish one of the last visual reminders of this once famous territory north of Georgetown. La Compton Mine in Nevada City, Last Mine on Main Street and Chinese at the Mines were researched and sketched from old photographs and engravings. Sketching in the Foothills: Historians record the excitement of the gold rush days but mostly he remembered the mountains and the foothills were these events took place. It was early in June when George sketched the Sierra Buttes for Bassett’s Station background was the snow still topping these lovely peaks. While Edwards crossing now has a modern bridge and carries station wagons instead of freight wagons-the surroundings remain the same. Thirty years ago when visiting Bridgeport Bridge there was not a person in sight. Not one car went by while George sketched. In 1952 the road to Bodie left much to be desired. Bodie had yet to become a tourist attraction. Just a blowing wind broke the silence of this ghost town. Carol and George climbed about the cliffs above Donner Lake to locate the trail where the covered wagons come over the pass. Sketching the Railroads: Most of the historic trains that George sketched were researched from old photographs; Jean remembers a trip they took to a lonesome spot in the Nevada desert where the Virginia &Truckee bullion car sat on a barren hilltop. In 1952 they went to Sierra Valley to sketch the Shay and caboose nestling in the fringe of grass. (Print is Abandoned Rail Equipment 1952) George’s attention to detail is reflected in his statement, “If I don’t put in every nut and bolt, some train buff will surely point out the omission.” The Historical, Old Buildings: It was around 1945 when George began sketching the gold country. As they traveled the foothills, a feeling of urgency grew-a need to record as many old buildings as possible before time, weather and the march of progress destroyed these places. George often found himself just one step ahead of the bulldozer. The tendency at the time was to tear down and replace them with modern structures. Certainly too many historic buildings suffered this fate. When they went to Sierra City, years ago, the town consisted of boarded up buildings, two bars and one hotel. Now it thrives as a popular vacation resort. Old Kentucky Mine stood decaying for years. It has now been turned into a museum with plans to make it a working museum to demonstrate the processing of ore. The lawless atmosphere of the gold rush days may be missing but the flavor of the 1800’s is still there. Nevada City is one of the best examples of careful restoration. The National Hotel, Ott’s Assay Office, American Victorian Museum, The Marsh House and many fine Victorian homes are just a few of the places well worth mentioning. Old structures now in the gold country cities, towns and state parks are restored or in the process of restoration. SOURCE: A Catalogue of George Mathis Country offering over 100 prints & lithographs of the historic west 1980s. (8/20/2012)

Price: 24.99 USD

Location: Sacramento, California

End Time: 2024-12-01T08:59:06.000Z

Shipping Cost: 5.5 USD