Antique Natural HistoryOriginal plates from the naturalists' books, 1600s to 1900s
Towering Mammoth Tree in California: "Beauty of the Forest" Lithograph of 1856
Towering Mammoth Tree in California: "Beauty of the Forest" Lithograph of 1856, view 2

Framed and on the wall

Towering Mammoth Tree in California: "Beauty of the Forest" Lithograph of 1856, shown framedTowering Mammoth Tree in California: "Beauty of the Forest" Lithograph of 1856, shown framed on a wallTowering Mammoth Tree in California: "Beauty of the Forest" Lithograph of 1856, shown framed in a room

Frame and rooms are illustrations of how the print could look; the description says what is included.

Towering Mammoth Tree in California: "Beauty of the Forest" Lithograph of 1856

€220 ($250, £185, €220)

Period original, not a reproduction.

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Date
1856
Size
11.1 × 8.1 in (28.3 × 20.7 cm)
Condition
Good. Condition summary: Very good condition with crisp details and well-preserved colors. Minor toning typical for its age.
Period
Late 19th century
Section
Botanical
Reference
f_43486702

A giant redwood standing in its forest, an original tinted lithograph from the Pacific Railroad Surveys, issued in 1856. The caption reads "Mammoth Tree 'Beauty of the Forest'", with "T. Sinclair's lith. Phil." at lower right. The header reads "U.S.P.R.R. Exp. & Surveys, Cal." and the sheet is numbered as a Geology plate.

The portrait format suits the subject. A single tall, straight trunk rises from the lower center to a crown of layered, drooping branches high above the surrounding trees, with a tiny figure standing at its foot for scale. Younger conifers of the same kind stand on either side, and a pale mass of forest fills the background. The printing is in warm buff and brown tints with a pale blue sky.

The plate was prepared for the geological reports of the California survey and published in Reports of Explorations and Surveys, to Ascertain the Most Practicable and Economical Route for a Railroad from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean.