Printed Books & Early American Photography, including Selections from the Larry Ness Collection

Sight, 13 x 19 1/2 in. Framed and matted (unexamined out of frame). Overall, 19 1/2 x 25 3/4 in. Some creasing across central portion of print. Provenance: Wawona Washburn Hartwig (1914-2000), great-granddaughter of Thomas Hill (postcard note affixed to verso).

Thomas Hill was an American artist primarily known for his paintings of northern California and of the Yosemite region in particular, which Hill had visited along with photographer Carleton Watkins and illustrator Virgil Williams in 1865; his first painting of the region, View of the Yosemite Valley, was chosen as the backdrop at the head table of President Barack Obama's 2009 inaugural luncheon. His best-known work, The Last Spike, became famous both for its sheer scale and for its detailed portraits of all 71 individuals involved in the ceremonial joining of the CPRR and UPRR lines at Promontory Summit, Utah, on May 10, 1869.

The present print is purported to have been used by Hill to establish a copyright of the image with the Library of Congress shortly after its completion, with copyright records noting a "photograph on file" which is believed to have been returned to Hill shortly afterwards. In a pamphlet published by Hill entitled History of the "Spike Picture" and Why It Is Still in My Possession, he wrote, "When my picture was placed on exhibition at the Art Association, Mr. [Leland] Stanford expressed regret at its publicity, and urged me to take it from before the public... He also urged me to withdraw the photograph, of which I had taken orders for a great number. I have proof that I did so, robbing myself all these years of what would have given me quite a revenue." Only three copies of this print are known to exist, of which this is the only one in private hands; the other two are held by the Yosemite National Park Museum and the Oakland Museum of California. Hill's original painting now hangs in the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento.