3425

Leadville,CO - Lake County - c1885 - View from Capitol Hill Photograph :

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Photographic Images Start Price:200.00 USD Estimated At:400.00 - 800.00 USD
Leadville,CO - Lake County - c1885 - View from Capitol Hill Photograph :
The highest incorporated city in the country was also the state's biggest silver producer. Cabinet card photograph measures 6 1/2”x4”, beige single matte 7”x4 1/2”, high contrast, and focus is sharp. The photo has yellowed slightly, but overall great condition. The photographer was probably William Henry Jackson who had a studio in Colorado from 1879 to 1897 (Mautz). Jackson’s name is written in pencil on the reverse of the card. While this is not sufficient proof of a photographer, the format is consistent with other cabinet cards he produced. The town is located west-southwest of Denver—in the heart of the Rocky Mountains. In the photograph, a developing town sits in the background. In the foreground a young girl sits on a donkey. A boy and girl stand on a bridge over a canal in the background. Tailings can be seen in the distance behind the town. The first discovery of precious metals in the district came with gold placer mining in California Gulch in 1859. The big rush did not come until the discovery of silver in the mid-1870s. By 1879 the town had a population of 18,000, and by 1893 there were 60,000. No. 646.