Photographs of etchings and drawings of Old Sacramento between 1848-1852.

The 1849 scene is a project which involves the complete reconstruction of buildings which, for the most part, have not existed for 120 years. Few written accounts exist which give explicit descriptions of the structures. Graphic materials which depict the 1849 Scene are scarce. Early photographs are unknown with the exception of one taken of J.L.L.F. Warren's New England Seed Store before it burned in the great fire of November 1852. What historians do have to work with are sketches, lithographs, woodcuts, and engravings done by early day visitors to Sacramento city. Unlike photographs, these types of graphic materials are subject to the interpretation of the artist. And too, some artists who never visited Sacramento city copied the work of those who did. There are, in some cases, a multitude of versions, of the same scene, all taken from one primary sketch. In particular, this is true of many versions of the view originally sketched by G. V. Cooper. Many of these have been included in the following collection of plates.

1 album

Copyright has not been assigned to the California State Railroad Museum. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the CSRM Librarian. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the CSRM as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the reader.

Open for research.