Inhabitants of California, Indigenous Dress and Daily Life Engraving, c1774
€ 290
Original antique · The actual sheet photographed · Certificate of authenticity on request · Sold unframed · Worldwide shipping from € 15 (rates)
Sheet size
39.5 × 24.8 cm (15.6 × 9.8 in)
Condition
Good
Reference
BG-14129-34
What the condition grades mean
Excellent
Bright and clean, with no faults worth mentioning.
Very good
Only light signs of age, such as faint toning.
Good
Normal signs of age for a sheet of this period: toning, some foxing, small marks or neat old repairs.
Fair
Clear faults such as staining, tears or repairs, priced to match.
Every fault we see is written in the condition note, and the whole sheet is shown uncropped in the photos.
Condition
Good original condition, with light age-related toning and minor surface wear consistent with an 18th-century engraving. The plate impression remains clear and evenly inked. Margins are present and stable.
About this sheet
The Indigenous inhabitants of California in four small scenes on a single copper-engraved sheet, attributed to John Hawkesworth (London, c.1774). The heading reads "The Inhabitants of California in their respective Dresses" with "Vol. I. p. 234" at the upper right.
The sheet is divided into two framed views, each with two captioned figures. At the upper left a man carries a spear and a bundle over his shoulder, captioned "An Indian Man returned from Fishing". Beside him, "An Indian Fishing on his Bark-Log" kneels on a raft of lashed logs and paddles across open water. In the lower view, "An Indian Woman of Distinction covered with the Skin of a Bird in its Feathers" stands with a bow, while "An Indian Woman in the ordinary Deer Skin Dress" is seen from behind, wrapped in a hide. A snow-capped volcanic peak rises behind the women.
California was barely known in print to British readers at this date, and plates of this kind were assembled from the accounts of earlier voyagers. The sheet is a European reconstruction of dress, tools and fishing methods rather than an eyewitness record.
