The Forty-Niner
Ernest-Étienne NARJOT DE FRANCHEVILLE
(American, born France, 1826 - 1898)
The Forty-Niner
Date1881
Mediumoil on canvas
DimensionsOverall: 40 x 50 in. (101.6 x 127 cm)
ClassificationPAINTINGS
Credit LineSBMA, Gift of Marguerite V. West and Mr. Charles H. King
Object number1963.15
Subject(s)
- men
- dog
- interiors
- California
Collection
- 19th century American
- American
Sub-Collection(s)
- American
- French
On View
Not on viewLabel TextNarjot made his reputation as one of the leading painters of the California Gold Rush. He arrived in the States from France in 1849, drawn to the prospect of making his fortune by panning for gold. When his luck fell short, he turned to painting as his livelihood, becoming one of the best recognized artists of the Gold Rush, as he had experienced it firsthand. This painting, done decades after his time panning for gold, is overtly sentimental. By the 1880s, the collection of gold was done mechanically, rather than by hand. But this wistful scene of a miner, reading a letter, likely from a faraway loved one, captures the romance of the adventurers who first participated in the excitement of the Gold Rush. The lonely miner lives in a rough log cabin, the simple implement of his vocation conspicuously on display at the foot of the bed, with only his faithful dog for company.
