Barn at San Andreas by William Seltzer Rice

Barn at San Andreas by William Seltzer Rice

Barn at San Andreas

William Seltzer Rice

Title

Barn at San Andreas

 
Artist
Year
c. 1940  
Technique
drypoint 
Image Size
8 7/8 x 9 15/16" platemark 
Signature
pencil signed, lower right 
Edition Size
about 10 impressions 
Annotations
pencil titled, lower left 
Reference
e-cv4(b) 
Paper
ivory wove 
State
 
Publisher
 
Inventory ID
RRT714 
Price
SOLD
Description
In his watercolors, woodcuts, etchings, and linocuts, William S. Rice often depicted the disappearing indicators of early California settlement. In Barn at San Andreas, he created an elegant portrait of a once functioning barn that is slowly collapsing due to the elements. The small unincorporated town of San Andreas, located in Calaveras County, was settled by Mexican gold miners in 1848 and, in 1850, over 1000 tents dotted the hillsides. In August 1852 the large San Andreas Nugget was found in a claim just north of the current town and sold to the Wells Fargo company for $12,000. The Gold Rush was one of the largest human migrations in history but once the gold was depleted the people move on to seek their fortunes elsewhere. The current population of the town is less than 3,000.