Object Details
Artist
Charles Christian Nahl, born Kassel, Germany 1818-died San Francisco, CA 1878
August Wenderoth, born Kassel, Germany 1819-died Philadelphia, PA 1884
Gallery Label
Charles Christian Nahl and August Wenderoth were refugees from Germany's revolution of 1848. Like thousands before them, they came to California to find their fortunes, but as skilled entrepreneurs rather than adventurers. They built a studio in Sacramento and painted the first wave of prospectors. These miners wear red, white, and blue shirts, signaling California's importance to the nation's future. California became a state in 1850, and was already an economic powerhouse by the time the artists collaborated on this painting.
Credit Line
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Fred Heilbron Collection
Date
1851-1852
Object number
1982.120
Restrictions & Rights
CC0
Type
Painting
Medium
oil on canvas mounted on canvas
Dimensions
54 1/4 x 66 7/8 in. (137.7 x 169.8 cm)
See more items in
Smithsonian American Art Museum Collection
Department
Painting and Sculpture
Data Source
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Topic
Figure group\male
Landscape\California
Western
Occupation\industry\mining
Landscape\mountain\Sierra Nevada Mountains
Architecture Exterior\domestic\cottage
Link to Original Record
Record ID
saam_1982.120