272

VERSO
Label, Stashka Art Conservation, Dallas, Texas

According to William Tylee Abbott, “In August of 1890 Bierstadt was commissioned to paint a large oil of ‘Mt. Baker’ for Sir George Stephens of the Canadian Pacific Railway. According to instructions from William Cornelius Van Horne, General Manager of the Railway, ‘... [if] you paint Mount Baker from the first little bridge west of our Stone River bridge I am very sure that Sir George would like that, so sure that you might feel entirely safe in stopping there to paint it. Cloudy days are not infrequent there and you might lose a few days getting a good view of it, but under favorable conditions the view is so magnificent that I am sure it would be well worth your while. I think it the finest natural composition I have ever seen. The point indicated is the nearest one on our line from which a good view of Mount Baker can be had. The Fraser River, very broad here, stretches away towards it, the centre cone of Mount Baker rises apparently directly from the river and is frequently reflected in it with great distinctness.’”

PROVENANCE
J. Harrison Mills, New York, New York
Private collection, Boston, Massachusetts and Texas, ca. 1910-20
Mrs. Jennifer Harris, California, by descent
Private collection, Dallas, Texas
Coeur d’Alene Art Auction, Reno, Nevada, 2011
Private collection, Fort Worth, Texas

LITERATURE
Larry Len Peterson, The American West Reimagined: Gems from the Coeur d’Alene Art Auction, Coeur d’Alene Art Auction, 2021, p. 19, illustrated

Condition ReportSurface condition is very good. Canvas is lined. Faint craquelure throughout. Two spots of inpainting in left of mountains.

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.