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1883 Griswold Chromolithograph Advertisment 'Big Trees of California'
BigTreesCalifornia-griswold-1883$1,200.00
Title
Big Trees of California. Height 435 Feet, Diamater 40 Feet.
1883 (dated) 10.5 x 13.5 in (26.67 x 34.29 cm)
1883 (dated) 10.5 x 13.5 in (26.67 x 34.29 cm)
Description
A striking 1893 H.S. Crocker and N.W. Griswold chromolithograph illustration of Yosemite's giant sequoias advertising Kallidont (mouthwash) and Griswold's publication Beauties of California.
The view illustrates the famous Wawona Tree, a sequoia formerly in Mariposa Grove, Yosemite. The mighty tree tragically fell in 1969. The tree's remarkable 'tunnel' was cut through in 1881, just a few years before this view was printed. The tunnel was a scheme to draw tourism devised by the Yosemite Stage and Turnpike Company, who hired the Scribner brothers, loggers, to widen an existing burn-out scar. The passenger coach illustrated here is undoubtedly one of their carriages, and Griswold likely had a stake in the business.
The enormous stump to the left, on top of which smartly dressed tourists marvel, was likely nowhere near the Wawona Tree. This image, instead, appears to be a composite of two images also published as separate images in Griswold's Beauties of California.
A large advertisement carved into the side of the Wawona Tree promotes Dr. Merriman's Fragrant Kalliodont, a mouthwash manufactured in Alameda, California. The dentifrice was one of Griswold's side projects, and he served as the company's secretary.
A Closer Look
The image is the work of the Swiss-American artist Emmanuel Wyttenbach, who signed it in the lower right.The view illustrates the famous Wawona Tree, a sequoia formerly in Mariposa Grove, Yosemite. The mighty tree tragically fell in 1969. The tree's remarkable 'tunnel' was cut through in 1881, just a few years before this view was printed. The tunnel was a scheme to draw tourism devised by the Yosemite Stage and Turnpike Company, who hired the Scribner brothers, loggers, to widen an existing burn-out scar. The passenger coach illustrated here is undoubtedly one of their carriages, and Griswold likely had a stake in the business.
The enormous stump to the left, on top of which smartly dressed tourists marvel, was likely nowhere near the Wawona Tree. This image, instead, appears to be a composite of two images also published as separate images in Griswold's Beauties of California.
A large advertisement carved into the side of the Wawona Tree promotes Dr. Merriman's Fragrant Kalliodont, a mouthwash manufactured in Alameda, California. The dentifrice was one of Griswold's side projects, and he served as the company's secretary.
Chromolithography
Chromolithography, sometimes called oleography, is a color lithographic technique developed in the mid-19th century. The process uses multiple lithographic stones, one for each color, to yield a rich composite effect. Generally, a chromolithograph begins with a black basecoat upon which subsequent colors are layered. Some chromolithographs used 30 or more separate lithographic stones to achieve the desired effect. Chromolithograph color can be blended for even more dramatic results. The process became extremely popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries when it emerged as the dominant method of color printing. The vivid color chromolithography made it exceptionally effective for advertising and propaganda.Publication History and Census
This image was drafted by Emmanuel Wyttenbach, commissioned by Norman Whitmore Griswold, and printed in chromolithograph by H.S. Crocker in 1893 to promote Griswold's various business interests, including his booklet Beauties of California and dentifrice 'Kalliodont'. This is the only known surviving example.CartographerS
Norman Whitmore Griswold (November 25, 1843 - December 1, 1904) was a California-based businessman, entrepreneur, speculator, and sometimes publisher. Griswold was born in Farmington, Connecticut. He worked in Boston as a clerk until the American Civil War (1861 - 1865), when in 1862 he enlisted as a private in the Union Army (Company K, 30th Regiment, Massachusetts Infantry). He was injured in battle in New Orleans and discharged, but on January 9, 1864, he reenlisted, this time as a white officer (1st Lieutenant and Quartermaster) with the 75th United States Colored Troops. Still in New Orleans in 1865, he married Anna E. McChesney (1849 - 1937), who gave birth there to a son, Norman M. Griswold. Around 1880, Griswold followed the railroads west, settling in Alameda, California, where he was briefly employed with a local sash works. Within a few years, Griswold became involved with the Royal Soap Company of Alameda (est. 1879), of which he was listed as a company secretary under President John D. Yost. Yost was also a partner at Henry.S. Crocker Company, one of the largest publishers in California. The association with Yost brought Griswold into the orbit of H.S. Crocker's (1832 - 1904) more famous brother, the Central Pacific Railroad tycoon Charles Crocker (1822 - 1888). Griswold encouraged the Crockers to leverage the publishing might of H.S. Crocker to promote California tourism to destinations accessible by railroad, thereby increasing ridership and land values. Their main publication, a multi-page booklet entitled Beauties of California, was lavishly printed in chromolithography with dramatic illustrations of California wonders, including Yosemite and giant sequoias. Griswold went on to partner with Charles Crocker as President of the Sonoma County Land and Improvement Company, which founded the town of Kenwood. Griswold even built himself a castle there. Ultimately, the town was a commercial bust, though today, it is a beautiful wine-country community. In 1901, Griswold started a construction company in Honolulu, but this failed when Griswold, on a business trip to New York, died suddenly. His body was transferred to Oakland for burial. More by this mapmaker...
Henry Smith Crocker (January 31, 1832 - July 18, 1904) was an American printer, publisher, and railroad investor active in northern California in the middle to late 19th century. Crocker followed the Gold Rush to California, settling in Sacramento in the 1850s. He established his printing concern, H. S. Crocker, in 1856. Apparently his first office was little more than a tent with a small sign. Crocker relocated to San Francisco in 1871. He became extremely wealthy almost overnight by leveraging his ties to the Central Pacific Railroad, which is brother, Charles Crocker (1822 - 1888) founded. In 1885, Crocker constructed a large five-story printing factory, powered by his own private steam plant, then the largest and most sophisticated printing concern on the west coast. Crocker's prosperity continued and by the time he died in 1904, he was the head of a large and wealthy family. Although Crocker passed on, his company, H.S. Crocker, continued to operate and remains active to this day. Learn More...
Condition
Very good.