Object Record
Images
Metadata
Title |
"Ravenswood Rancho" Residence of L.P. Cooley of Menlo Park, 1878 |
Object Name |
Lithograph |
Description |
"Ravenswood Rancho" Residence of L.P. Cooley of Menlo Park, 1878. Moore & DePue lithograph by Britton & Rey. Black and white framed lithograph depicting the "Ravenswood Rancho" Residence of L.P. Cooley of Menlo Park. Image shows an overview of the property, which includes a large tree and fence-lined field in the center, where three horses graze. To the left of the field is a white house flanked by two large trees and two figures standing in the front lawn. Behind the field are stables and cattle, and to the right of the field is a locomotive attached to a piece of farming machinery being worked on by multiple men. A two-horse-drawn wagon and a two-horse-drawn carriage ride along a dirt road in the foreground; a body of water with boats on it, a distant village, and a hill range are in the background. Printed on white paper, mounted under glass into a black plastic frame. |
Date |
1878 |
Creator |
Britton & Rey |
Role |
Artist |
Creator |
Lith. Britton & Rey, S.F. |
Role |
Lithographer |
Creator |
Moore & DePue |
Role |
Publisher |
Catalog Number |
2011.034.006 |
Dimensions |
H-14.125 W-30.125 D-0.625 inches |
Dimension Details |
Overall. |
Collection |
Three-Dimensional Collection |
Inscription Text |
"98" (top right of print); "MOORE & DE PUE, PUB.S.F. BRITTON & REY, LITH. S.F. / 'RAVENSWOOD RANCHO' Residence of L.P. Cooley, Menlo Park, San Mateo Co. California." (bottom of image) |
Notes |
Britton and Rey (1852-1906) was a lithographic firm based in San Francisco founded by Joseph Britton (1825-1901) and Jacques Joseph Rey (1820-1892). The leading firm in the area during the second half of the 19thg century, Britton and Rey eventually earned the reputation of being the western Currier and Ives… Within the partnership, Rey was the artist and Britton the principal lithographer. Britton was also principally concerned with the business aspects of the firm. [https://www.geographicus.com/P/ctgy&Category_Code=brittonandrey 1/5/2022] Moore & DePue. In 1878, publishers Elliott S. Moore and James De Pue saw opportunity in San Mateo County... Brown divided production of sixty-four views with Britton & Rey, and the larger firm produced... twenty-two views along the Southern Pacific Railroad right-of-way, including fourteen in the county seat. While Britton & Rey canvassed the more prestigious areas, Brown sketched forty-one farms, residences, and businesses. Of fourteen views that filled two pages, Brown did eleven. Each lithographer used distinctive corner ornaments. Furthermore, Britton & Rey did the county map, while Brown provided the illustrated title page as his forty-second view. Brown's views illustrate his more sophisticated sense of contour and color of mountains, as well as the interplay of sky, cloud, and shadow, while Britton & Rey emphasized foreground people, horses, and houses and their shadows. Brown's shading of hills and clouds adds more depth than is normally found in scenes where the artist's view was expected only to inventory the property of the paying customer. After seven months of production, Moore and DePue praised the "skill and artistic finish" of the plates included in their Illustrated History of San Mateo County, and through the Redwood City newspaper on November 30, 1878, declared that "we are now delivering [them] to our subscribers." For those with second thoughts, the publishers offered, "a limited number can be purchased of our delivering agents while on their route. Price ten dollars." Today, this county history is in great demand. - Robert J. Chander, San Francisco Lithographer: African American Artist Grafton Tyler Brown (2014), pages 146-148. [https://www.raremaps.com/gallery/detail/69670/california-san-mateo-county-moore-de-pues-illustrated-brown-co-depue-moore 1/5/2022] |
Search Terms |
Lithographs Ravenswood Ranch Houses Cooley, L.P. Menlo Park Horses Horse Drawn Vehicles Cattle Farming Farming - California Wagons Carriages Water Boats |
Subjects |
Carriages and carts Cattle Farming Horses Lithographs Lithography Ranch Houses Ranches Stables |
People |
Cooley, L.P. |
Credit line |
Courtesy of Brenda Beckett |