RARE ANTIQUE PAINTING of YOSEMITE FALLS - 19th Century CALIFORNIA

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This rare antique oil painting of Yosemite Falls was recently discovered in southern New Hampshire. The primitive painting appears to date from the second half of the 19th century, Yosemite Falls wasn't discovered until 1850. This charming naive oil painting is on canvas and measures approx. 8 x 10 inches. and is in a 10 1/2x 12 1/2 inch wooden frame. The painting was originally on a stretcher but at some point was cut from the stretcher and pasted to a sheet of cardboard with a "tobacco" advertisement on the back. There is some writing on the cardboard but I don't know if it has anything to do with the painting (see last picture). Landscape paintings by Folk Artists became very popular in the 19th century and this artist captured an historically important image of the largest waterfall in North America. The painting is not signed. Very Good Condition! As with all my Ebay items I am starting this auction at $9.99 with NO RESERVE!History of the Yosemite areaGalen Clark , the first guardian of Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Grove, pictured in front of the Grizzly Giant Tree, Mariposa Grove around 1858-9.For over 3,000 years Sierra Miwok , Mono , Paiute , and other Native American groups have lived in the central Sierra Nevada region of California. When European Americans first visited the area that would later become Yosemite National Park , a band of Native Americans called the Ahwahnechee lived in Yosemite Valley . The California Gold Rush in the mid-19th century greatly increased the number of non-indigenous people in the region. Tensions between Native Americans and white settlers escalated into the Mariposa War . As part of this conflict, settler James Savage led the Mariposa Battalion into Yosemite Valley in 1851, in pursuit of Ahwaneechees led by Chief Tenaya . Accounts from the battalion, especially from Dr. Lafayette Bunnell , popularized Yosemite Valley as a scenic wonder.In 1864, Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Grove of giant sequoia trees were transferred from federal to state ownership. Yosemite pioneer Galen Clark became the park's first guardian. Conditions in Yosemite Valley were made more hospitable to people and access to the park was improved in the late 19th century. Naturalist John Muir and others became increasingly alarmed about the excessive exploitation of the area. Their efforts helped establish Yosemite National Park in 1890. Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Grove were added to the national park in 1906.The United States Army had jurisdiction over the national park from 1891 to 1914, followed by a brief period of civilian stewardship. The newly formed National Park Service took over the park's administration in 1916. Improvements to the park helped to increase visitation during this time. Preservationists led by Muir and the Sierra Club failed to save Hetch Hetchy Valley from becoming a reservoir in 1923. In 1964, 89 percent of the park was set aside in a highly protected wilderness area , and other protected areas were added adjacent to the park. The once-famous Yosemite Firefall , created by pushing red hot embers off a cliff near Glacier Point at night, was discontinued in the mid-to-late 20th century along with other activities that were deemed to be inconsistent with protection of the national park.Early history Native AmericansHumans may have visited the Yosemite area as long as 8,000 to 10,000 years ago. [1] By the time people started to settle Yosemite Valley 3,000 years ago, vegetation and game in the region was similar to that present today; the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada had acorns, deer, and salmon, while the eastern Sierra had pinyon nuts and obsidian . [2] Native American groups traveled between these two regions to trade and raid.Yosemite Paiute ceremony in 1872, at the site of present-day Yosemite Lodge [3]Archaeologists divide the pre-European American contact period of the region into three cultural phases. The Crane Flat phase lasted from 1000 BCE to 500 CE and is marked by hunting with the atl atl and the use of grindin... read more

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