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Grubstake Prospectors and Financier Photograph

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Photographic Images Start Price:100.00 USD Estimated At:200.00 - 300.00 USD
Grubstake Prospectors and Financier Photograph
Five men pose with donkey in front of a wooden structure on the outskirts of Goldfield. Photograph measures 8”x6”, black single matte with black border 10 ¾”x8 ¾”, high contrast and focus is sharp. Photographer identified as A. Allen of Goldfield. Allen photographs in Esmeralda and Nye Counties circa 1910 focus on the driving force behind the miners’ and prospectors’ driving force: hope. This photograph is no different. Four prospectors, probably grubstakers, stand to the left of the financier. The dress of the prospectors tells the story of the times. They are either strapped with a rock hammer or a pistol and ammo belt. The man in the center, standing in front of the door of the cabin, has a look of determination with pipe in mouth and worn bridle leather hanging from his shoulders. Grubstake prospectors were very common in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. At its most simple level, a prospector could trade food and lodging for a percentage of any claim that may become profitable. Many men were supported though this grubstake arrangement: grub for a piece of the stake.