Gold Rush Art Brought to Life
One
of the primary goals of the Gold Rush History Alliance was to
recreate the Gold Rush era as accurately as possible based on
primary sources such as period records, publications, photographs,
and paintings. No painting better represents the variety of
equipment necessary to the itinerant miner than “The Prospector” by
E. H. Martin. With considerable effort and expense I was able to
acquire every item pictured in the painting, either as an original
antique or an authentically replicated copy. With the permission of
the painting’s owner, A. R. Phillips, Jr., I “stepped back in time”
and digitally inserted myself into the artist’s concept. Allowing
for the “artistic license” employed by Martin (especially in regard
to perspective), you are essentially seeing the painting come to
life. At GRHA events, the people of California were able to examine
The Prospector’s equipment close up, and get a true feel for what it
was like to be an itinerant miner in 1850’s California.
Original painting used by permission of A. R. Phillips, Jr. Copyright strictly inforced. All rights reserved.
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