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Western America: Original Color Lithograph of 20-Mule Team Hauling Borax

Currency:USD Category:Everything Else / Other Start Price:NA Estimated At:2,500.00 - 5,000.00 USD
Western America: Original Color Lithograph of 20-Mule Team Hauling Borax
c. 1895, Color Lithograph, "Hauling Borax from Death Valley, California," Choice Very Fine. 14.5" x 39.5", on original board mount, in an old frame. The famed 20-mule team of Pacific Coast Borax Co. pulls two large wagons and a smaller trailer through Death Valley. Printed by the Federal Litho Co., New York. There is a 4" vertical scratch at left edge and some overall minor wear and rubbing. The black horses contrast with the pale gold of the desert and the blue of the wagons and the hills in the background. A lovely image. Included is an article from the "California Historical Courier" entitled, "The 20-Mule Team Revisited: Borax in 19th-Century California." Although most people today know borax as a soap supplement or water softener, borax has many uses. The Egyptians used borax in the mummification process, the Babylonians used it to work and weld gold, and the Chinese used it for the production of borax glazes; Marco Polo supposedly brought the first borax to Europe in the 13th century. Borax was discovered in California in the 19th century and 90% of the world's supply comes from there.