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Mount Starr King, Yosemite
Albert Bierstadt, 1866
In the summer of 1863 Albert Bierstadt visited Yosemite Valley in California and made many sketches. Back in his New York studio he turned them into a number of grand paintings, including this view of the distant granite peak of Mount Starr King. The Cleveland Museum of Art says such scenes thrilled audiences on the East Coast and helped encourage early movements to protect natural wonders.
In 1864 President Lincoln signed a bill setting Yosemite aside as public property. It became a national park in 1890.
Bierstadt included two Native Americans with a packhorse in the composition. The museum says this refers to the fact that Indigenous peoples had lived in or regularly visited the valley for a long time. The painting is dated 1866.
From the museum record
| Artist | Albert Bierstadt |
|---|---|
| Date | 1866 |
| Medium | Oil on canvas on panel-back stretcher |
| Size | Unframed: 97 x 142.3 cm |
| Museum | The Cleveland Museum of Art |
| Credit line | Hinman B. Hurlbut Collection |
| Accession number | 1922.684 |
| Licence | Open Access (CC0) |
Source: The Cleveland Museum of Art collection record. Facts such as dates, sizes and credit lines come from that record. The write-up above was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the museum record and standard references. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
