Redwood

Gustave Baumann

This impression of Redwood is from a projected edition of 125, of which 76 impressions were recorded, between 1934 and 1960. Outside of the proofs, all impressions include the Roman numeral I, the impression number, and the edition size (125). This edition illustrates Baumann's unusual numbering system, as Chamberlain notes that the original impressions were carved in 1934, proved without a numbering system, and a second reworking of the blocks, all numbered in 1935, resulted in an "imperfect" run of 46 impressions (noted on p. 144). They were reworked a second time and printed in an edition of 27 impressions, ours being from that third and final campaign (in 1960). Throughout the campaigns, Baumann changed the colors fairly significantly, with earlier impressions reading cooler and green, and later impressions such as this one reading warmer and redder.

Gustave and Jane Baumann visited San Francisco, California in July of 1934. Redwood is a result of their exploration of Muir Woods National Monument, located just north of the city in southwestern Marin County. The grove of old redwoods provided Baumann with an ideal locale in which to isolate, study, and draw the natural beauty of these graceful trees.