Chromolithography: The Art of Color
Landscapes

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A wonderful picturesque view of San Francisco Bay in the morning. In the middle of the picture, Hildebrandt pictures Yurba Buena island, a natural outcropping located mid bay. This island today is the connection point for the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. In the background is the East Bay, where the present city of Oakland is located. The viewer is looking across today from about where the Bridge connects to the San Francisco peninsula. Hildebrandt, was born in Gdansk, and made numerous journeys to the Western Hemisphere, Mediterranean, Middle East, India, China, Japan and crossing the Pacific. A very colorful and well executed series of chromolithographs of his journeys were produced most likely in the late 1860s. These chromolithographs were reproduced with great effect to emulate his original watercolor drawings. A serene view from this very rare series. $2,200

Thomas Hill. "Birthplace of Whittier, The Poet." [Haverhill, Mass.] Boston: L. Prang & Co., ca. 1865. Chromolithograph. 17 x 26. Mounted on original canvas and stretcher and in original wood frame. With some small repairs in image. Overall, very good condition and appearance.

There were several levels of quality for Prang's chromolithographs, with the most elaborate published backed on linen and stretcher, as in the case of this excellent print of the home in Haverhill, Massachusetts, where John Greenleaf Whittier was born on December 17, 1807. American views were particular popular subjects for Prang's chromolithographs and this is one of the larger and better quality prints issued by the firm, evidence of the popularity of the home of this American poet and abolitionist. $1,200

Thomas Moran. "White Mountains." From The Aldine. New York, 1874. 11 x 14. Mounted on original board, with original label. With cracks and bend across center of image.

The Aldine was published from 1868 until 1879 as "the art journal of America." Within its pages were fine commissioned images by such famous artists as Thomas Moran. Like other magazines of the period, The Aldine issued some separate prints as bonuses for subscribers, including this fine chromolithograph after Moran. Moran "expressed his entire satisfaction with this reproduction, pronouncing its accuracy, 'wonderful.'" $600

"Across the Rocky Mountains." Cincinnati: William M. Donaldson & Co., 1879. 22 1/2 x 29 1/2. Chromolithograph. Margins trimmed to image as originally issued. Very good condition. In period frame.

A majestic Western scene, produced in chromolithography by the Donaldson company in Cincinnati. This firm specialized in circus posters, but also produced fine chromolithographs for framing and display, such as this dramatic print. The Rocky Mountains are shown towering over a forested valley. Snow, clouds and mist hug the mountain peaks. In the foreground are some Indians pointing as the train bursts thru the tunnel opening. Much of the West was still unknown at this time. The whole scene is a wonderful representation of Manifest Destiny. Man's ability to over come any topographical obstacle and his inevitable quest to conquer the West. Overall a very atmospheric and dramatic image of the Rocky Mountains. $2600

Andrew W. Melrose. "Lake George." [Sabbath Day Point/Roger's Slide]. Washington: A. Melrose, ca. 1885. 21 1/2 x 35 1/2. Chromolithograph by Raphael Tuck and Sons. Margins trimmed to image as issued. Vibrant colors. Very good to excellent condition. In period frame.

Andrew Melrose (1836-1901) was an artist of American landscapes. He had studios in Hoboken and Guttenburg, New Jersey during the 1870s and 1880s. He is particularly known for his paintings of views from North Carolina to New England, though he also produced images of Ireland, the Tyrol and Cornwall, England. This lovely and colorful Adirondack scene shows the area of Sabbath Day Point, near the present day town of Hague, New York. The view is looking north. In the background, on the left is Roger's Slide. In foreground, is a cabin with people unloading provisions on the shore. In the middle distance a flat bottom boat is ferrying people to another location on the lake. Melrose published a number of large chromolithographs after his paintings. Many artists tried selling these large and colorful prints to make extra money and to help establish their reputations. This is an excellent example of nineteenth century chromolithography used to reproduce American paintings. $3,200

Andrew W. Melrose. "Autumn in Catskills." Washington: A. Melrose, ca. 1885. 22 x 36. Chromolithograph. Margins trimmed to image. Two stains in image upper right hand corner, stain in sky from slat backing(?), three inch diagonal tear in image lower right hand corner. Very vibrant colors. Otherwise, very good condition.

Another excellent chromolithograph after Melrose, this lovely and colorful autumn scene, a grist mill is shown on an unknown river in the Catskill Mountains. A wagon is unloading wheat to be processed and two boys are showing fishing in the river nearby. In the background the Catskill Mountains are shown towering above the river valley. $2,600

Andrew W. Melrose. "Mills and Dales of New England." Washington: A. Melrose, ca. 1885. 21 1/2 x 35 1/2. Chromolithograph by Raphael Tuck and Sons. Vibrant colors. Margins trimmed to image as issued. Small portion of lower right hand corner missing. Otherwise, very good condition.

This Melrose image shows a typical New England valley, with boaters and picnicers along side a stream passing by a charming New England village. $2,400

"Bridal Veil Falls." From Warren Cheyney. Yosemite Illustrated in Colors. San Francisco: H. S. Crocker, 1890. Approximately 9 1/2 x 7 (vignette). Chromolithograph after watercolor and oil sketch by H.W. Hansen. Very good condition.

First published in 1890, the beautiful book from which this print comes was the earliest coffee table books to illustrate the wonders of Yosemite. Its was issued as part of a promotion to establish Yosemite as a tourist destination and national park. It features twelve chromolithographs, each with a small poem by Harry Dix, after the paintings of H.W. Hansen and Carll Dahlgren.

H. W. Hansen (1854-1924) was born in Dithmarschen, Germany and studied painting until he emigrated to the United States in 1877. He settled in Chicago to study at the Art Institute. In 1882, he moved to San Francisco and over a period time he made several sketching expeditions to various parts of the West. In general, his paintings were very popular with collectors during the early 20th century and his work, at the time, was favorably compared to Remington.

Carll Dahlgren (1841-1920) was born in Denmark and studied at the Copenhagen Academy of Arts. In 1872, he and his brother immigrated to Salt Lake City. There he worked briefly as an artist- draftsman for the Surveyor General. Five years later he moved to San Francisco and became involved in the San Francisco Art Association. The majority of his work were landscapes but he did a series of street scenes of San Francisco following the earthquake of 1906. His work can be recognized by a shaft of sunlight which is often found in his images. Overall, a wonderful scenic views of the famous National Park. $175

Go to a complete listing of images from this series on Yosemite

Louis B. Akin. "El Tovar Hotel, Grand Canyon." Published by the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway Company, 1906. 17 1/2 x 35 3/4. Chromolithograph. Margins trimmed to the image as originally issued. Very good condition. With original period frame and descriptive brass plaque.

The promotion of the Grand Canyon was pursued by corporations that stood to profit from their association. The Atchinson, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway looked to art as one of many ways to increase the number of passengers on its railways. For many years the company was the only direct route to the Grand Canyon. The company financed artists to visit the area to paint. In this way the Company acquired a large collection of original art to decorate stations, offices and hotels. Some of the paintings were reproduced on letterheads, ink blotters and chromolithographs, which were distributed to passengers as souvenirs or printed as public advertisements such as this print.

Louis Akin (1868-1913) is best known for his paintings of the Grand Canyon, Southwestern landscapes and Hopi Indian life. Akin was born near Corvallis, Oregon on June 6, 1868. A man who loved the outdoors Akin moved to New York in 1897, to study in William Merritt Chase's New York Art School. While in New York he took various jobs as a commercial artist and illustrator but in 1903 was offered a commission by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway to paint the Hopi Indians. Three years later the Railway asked him to create a painting of the newly completed El Tovar Hotel at Grand Canyon. That image became something of a trademark for the Santa Fe Railway. Akin's work in the Southwest brought him another commission by the American Museum of Natural History in New York to paint murals for a hall on Indians of the Southwest. Based in Flagstaff, Arizona, Akin traveled throughout the Southwest, making sketches for the planned mural. Unfortunately, Akin died of pneumonia in 1913 before he could complete this work. His largest landscape painting, "Evening - Grand Canyon", may be seen in Verkamp's gift shop in Grand Canyon Village on the South Rim.

The El Tovar Hotel, completed in 1905, was built just twenty feet from the south rim of the Grand Canyon and is considered as the architectural crown jewel of the Grand Canyon. The hotel is made of native stone and Oregon pine and its design is based on various rustic hunting lodges in Europe. Architect Charles Whittlesey designed the building to complement the hotel's geological surroundings. The hotel is named for the Spanish explorer Don Pedro de Tovar. $4,200

Thomas Moran. "Grand Canyon of Arizona From Hermit Rim Road." Chicago: Atchison Topeka & Santa Fe Railway System, 1913. 26 1/2 x 35 1/4. Chromolithograph by American Lithographic Co. Margins trimmed to image as originally issued. In period gold frame. Small area of in-painting bottom left of image. Otherwise very good condition. (Ref: Joni Louise Kinsey. Thomas Moran and the Surveying of the American West, 1992).

An impressive American chromolithograph of Thomas Moran's famous image of the Grand Canyon from the Hermit Rim. Moran is one of America's best painters of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, and he is particularly known for his luminous paintings of the American west. Moran accompanied the 1871 Ferdinand V. Hayden expedition to the Yellowstone, and upon his return he produced a superb group of watercolors which Boston publisher Louis Prang turned into 15 chromolithographs which he issued in a portfolio limited to 1,000 copies. The success of these marvelous prints inspired Moran to head west again two years later. In 1873 he joined John Wesley Powell, who had navigated the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon in 1869, on another expedition to the Grand Canyon. This trip resulted in a painting taken from the Kaibab Plateau on the north rim, which in turn was turned into this stunning chromolithograph.

The promotion of the Grand Canyon was pursued by corporations that stood to profit from their association. The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway looked to art as one of many ways to increase the number of passengers on its railways. For many years the company was the only direct route to the Grand Canyon. Along with Moran, the company also financed other artists to visit the area to paint. In this way the Company acquired a large collection of original art to decorate stations, offices and hotels. Some of the paintings were reproduced on letterheads, ink blotters and chromolithographs, which were distributed to passengers as souvenirs or printed as public advertisements. Moran's original painting is still in the possession of the company. However, the Santa Fe did not acquire the painting directly from Moran, but purchased it from the American Lithographic Co., who had bought it from Moran's Chicago dealer. For the sum of $4,000 the railroad received the oil and reproduction rights along with 2,500 chromolithographs that the Passenger Department distributed. This grand image was also reproduced in the company's annual calendars for many years. $5,200

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