2019 Coeur d’Alene Art Auction / Lot 143124 / 328  •  View Catalog  •   • 

143
Alfred Jacob Miller (1810 – 1874)
Independence Rock
watercolor and gouache on paper
8.375 × 12.875 inches
signed lower right

VERSO
Label, Claude de Muzac, Paris, France

Independence Rock is so named because emigrants bound for California hoped to reach the site in Central Wyoming by the 4th of July to avoid mountain snows as they proceeded westward. It became a place to sign your name indicating you had passed by. John C. Frémont wrote in his journal in 1843, “Everywhere within six or eight feet of the ground, where the surface is sufficiently smooth, and in some places sixty to eighty feet above, the rock is inscribed with the name of travelers. Many a name famous in the history of this country, and some well known in science, are to be found among those of traders and travelers.”

143

Alfred Jacob Miller

1810 – 1874

Independence Rock
watercolor and gouache on paper
8.375 × 12.875 inches
signed lower right
Sold at Auction: $56,525
Condition ReportAs viewed through glass. Two spots of foxing in sky, otherwise paper appears to be in excellent condition. Colors are bright.

Important Notice: Statements of condition are provided as a service to potential bidders; such statements are educated opinions and should not be regarded as facts. The Coeur d’Alene Art Auction has no responsibility for any errors or omissions.