Object Record
Images
Metadata
Title |
Court House, Redwood City, California, 1878 |
Object Name |
Lithograph |
Description |
Court House, Redwood City, California, 1878. Moore & DePue lithograph by Britton & Rey. Black and white framed lithograph depicting the Redwood City Courthouse. Image shows a large white square building in the center of a yard with various trees and dirt pathways throughout and a fence surrounding the property. In front of the fence is a sidewalk, followed by a dirt road, upon which a man in a single horse-drawn wagon passes by. To the back and left of the courthouse is forestry and a large hill. 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 |
2011.034.001 |
Dimensions |
H-14.125 W-16.25 D-0.75 inches |
Dimension Details |
Overall. |
Collection |
Three-Dimensional Collection |
Inscription Text |
"49" (top right of print); "MOORE & DEPUE , PUB.S.F. BRITTON & REY ,LITH.S.F. / COURT HOUSE, REDWOOD CITY, CAL." (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 |
Forestry Hills Horse Drawn Vehicles Horses Lithographs Redwood City Redwood City - Government Redwood City Courthouse Wagons |
Subjects |
Lithographs Lithography Redwood City Courthouses Sidewalks Horses Forestry Hills |
Credit line |
Courtesy of Brenda Beckett |