Miners in the Sierras

August Wenderoth, Charles Christian Nahl, Miners in the Sierras, 1851-1852, oil on canvas mounted on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Fred Heilbron Collection, 1982.120
Copied Charles Christian Nahl, August Wenderoth, Miners in the Sierras, 1851-1852, oil on canvas mounted on canvas, 54 1⁄4 x 66 7⁄8 in. (137.7 x 169.8 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Fred Heilbron Collection, 1982.120
Free to use

Artwork Details

Title
Miners in the Sierras
Artists
Date
1851-1852
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
54 1⁄4 x 66 7⁄8 in. (137.7 x 169.8 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of the Fred Heilbron Collection
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas mounted on canvas
Classifications
Subjects
  • Architecture Exterior — domestic — cottage
  • Landscape — mountain — Sierra Nevada Mountains
  • Figure group — male
  • Landscape — California
  • Western
  • Occupation — industry — mining
Object Number
1982.120
Research Notes
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1982.120

Artwork Description

Charles Christian Nahl and August Wenderoth were refugees from Germany's revolution of 1848. Like thousands before them, they came to California to find their fortunes, but as skilled entrepreneurs rather than adventurers. They built a studio in Sacramento and painted the first wave of prospectors.These miners wear red, white, and blue shirts, signaling California's importance to the nation's future.California became a state in 1850, and was already an economic powerhouse by the time the artists collaborated on this painting.