Sunrise in the Sierras

Albert Bierstadt, Sunrise in the Sierras, ca. 1872, oil on paper mounted on paperboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Orrin Wickersham June, 1967.136.8
Copied Albert Bierstadt, Sunrise in the Sierras, ca. 1872, oil on paper mounted on paperboard, 13 1⁄2 x 18 7⁄8 in. (34.3 x 47.9 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Orrin Wickersham June, 1967.136.8
Free to use

Artwork Details

Title
Sunrise in the Sierras
Artist
Date
ca. 1872
Location
Dimensions
13 1⁄2 x 18 7⁄8 in. (34.3 x 47.9 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of Orrin Wickersham June
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on paper mounted on paperboard
Classifications
Subjects
  • Landscape — California
  • Landscape — time — sunrise
  • Landscape — mountain — Sierra Nevada Mountains
Object Number
1967.136.8
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1967.136.8

Artwork Description

In 1872, Albert Bierstadt traveled deep into Kings River canyon in the South Sierra Nevada with the geologist Clarence King. He created many paintings on this trip, believing that people back East would be fascinated by images of the distant western states. In Sunrise in the Sierras the sunlight bouncing off the tips of the mountains emphasizes the vivid color of the rock against the dark, unfinished foreground. (Anderson and Ferber, Albert Bierstadt: Art and Enterprise, 1990)