Humboldt Pass, Great Basin Nevada – Beckwith Survey Engraving, c.1855

€ 219

Original antique · The actual sheet photographed · Certificate of authenticity on request · Sold unframed · Worldwide shipping from € 15 (rates)

Date: 1855
Sheet size: 21.4 × 29 cm (8.4 × 11.4 in)
Condition: Good
Reference: BG-14038-167

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 antique condition with age-related toning and occasional light foxing, primarily in the margins. Plate mark visible. Small binding holes present along the lower margin from original atlas binding.

About this sheet

Humboldt Pass in the Great Basin, an original steel engraving from the Pacific Railroad Surveys, taken from the report of the exploration of the 41st parallel led by Lieutenant Edward G. Beckwith (volume II). The heading at the top reads "U.S.P.R.R. Expl. & Surveys 41st Parallel" and "Expl. by Lieut. Beckwith, Vol. II," and the caption below gives the title "Humboldt Pass," with the view taken from a high peak east of the pass.

A single tall tree stands at the left of the foreground, with its branches reaching across the top of the scene, and a few dark conifers grow on the slope below it. At the right a rocky cliff drops away steeply into a broad valley. Beyond it successive ridges recede toward a distant horizon of snow-capped mountains under a soft, hazy sky. The names of the engraving and printing house in Washington, D.C. appear in the lower margin, together with lines of caption text about the divide between the Humboldt and Columbia drainages.