49er Collection

Panning for gold, California
Reenactor panning for gold on the American River, where the Gold Rush started, Coloma, California. Digital photograph

CALIFORNIA GOLDMINER, 1850. Contemporary colored engraving

GLAT2A-00018
Boat landing at the Chagres River, Panama, a seaport during the California Gold Rush. Hand-colored woodcut of a 19th-century illustration

EVNT2A-00012
Prospectors panning for gold in the California Gold Rush. Hand-colored woodcut of a 19th century illustration

Dorset, England. Sailing coach Ian Martin prepares a course for the GBR 29ers sailing team

The Honest Miners Songs, from the Californian Gold Rush of 1849 (litho)
PNP245893 The Honest Miners Songs, from the Californian Gold Rush of 1849 (litho) by American School, (19th century); Private Collection; Peter Newark Western Americana; American, out of copyright

Prospectors using a sluice during the California Gold Rush of 1849 (colour litho)
PNP245888 Prospectors using a sluice during the California Gold Rush of 1849 (colour litho) by American School, (19th century); Private Collection; Peter Newark Western Americana; American

Prospectors panning for gold during the Californian Gold Rush of 1849 (coloured engraving
PNP245895 Prospectors panning for gold during the Californian Gold Rush of 1849 (coloured engraving) by American School, (19th century); Private Collection; Peter Newark Western Americana; American

Prospectors gather round a woman in a gold camp (colour litho)
PNP245892 Prospectors gather round a woman in a gold camp (colour litho) by American School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info)

Prospectors during the Californian Gold Rush of 1849 (colour litho)
PNP245897 Prospectors during the Californian Gold Rush of 1849 (colour litho) by American School, (19th century); Private Collection; Peter Newark Western Americana; American, out of copyright

Prospectors using a rocker or cradle
PNP245889 Prospectors using a rocker or cradle to wash gold dirt during the California Gold Rush of 1849 (coloured engraving) by American School

Prospectors at Clear Creek, near Shasta, California, c. 1849 (b / w photo)
PNP245894 Prospectors at Clear Creek, near Shasta, California, c.1849 (b/w photo) by American Photographer, (19th century); Private Collection; Peter Newark American Pictures; American

A prospectors rocker used for separating gold from river silt (wood)
PNP245891 A prospectors rocker used for separating gold from river silt (wood) by American School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info)

CALIFORNIA: GOLD RUSH. Black and white gold miners prospecting in Spanish Flat, California, 1852

GOLD RUSH CARTOON, 1849. The Way They Go to California. Caricature of the eagerness of Easterners to reach the gold fields in California. Lithograph by Nathaniel Currier, 1849

California Gold Rush prospectors
California prospectors washing gravel in a stream, looking for gold. Hand-colored woodcut of a 19th-century illustration

CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH. Forty-Niners washing gold: colored engraving, mid-19th century

Prospector in the California Gold Rush
California prospector hoping to strike it rich. Hand-colored woodcut of a 19th century illustration

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Prospector panning for gold near Sutters Mill in the American River, Coloma, California. Composite of hand-colored woodcut and digital photograph

GOLD RUSH, 1852. Columbia, California, one of the most important gold mining communities in the Sierras in the years of the Gold Rush. Lithograph, American, 1852

CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH 1850s. Placer miners. Daguerreotype, probably early 1850s

CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH, 1853. Gold mine at Horseshoe Bar, American River, California, c1853

CALIFORNIA: GOLD MINERS. Gold miners at a camp along the Yuba River in California. Wood engraving, English, 1853

CALIFORNIA: GOLD MINERS. Gold miners in California. Wood engraving, English, 1853

CALIFORNIA: GOLD MINERS. Gold miners washing gold in the Yuba River in California. Wood engraving, English, 1853

BROADSIDE: SAILING, 1849. Broadside advertising passage from Boston, Massachusetts to California, 1849

GOLD RUSH: CARTOON. A California Gold Hunter Meeting a Settler. American lithograph, c1850

CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH. The California Company going from the town of York (Pennsylvania) in 1849. Contemporary drawing by Lewis Miller

CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH, 1853. Washing Gold, Calaveras, California. Gouache painting by an unknown artist, 1853

SUTTERs MILL GOLD, 1848. The first discovery of gold in California, by James Marshall at Sutters Mill, 24 January 1848. Illustration from History of an Expedition to California, 1849

GOLD RUSH, 1859. The campsite where the Jenks party pitched their tents on July 22, 1859, identified by the artist as Camp 100, on the banks of the Humboldt River in western Nevada

ROCKY MOUNTAINS, 1859. A view of the Cherokee Pass through the Rocky Mountains in Colorado, leading towards the Oregon and California Trails. Drawing by Daniel Jenks, 1859

GOLD RUSH, 1859. The campsite near the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, identified by the artist as Independence Camp showing one small tent. Graphite and ink on paper by Daniel A

GOLD RUSH, 1859. Daniel Jenks party at the campsite identified by the artist as Camp 14 at Chavis Creek in Kansas Territory during the Gold Rush. Graphite, ink and crayon on paper by Daniel A

GOLD RUSH, 1859. Bents Fort erected by William Bent in 1853 to replace the old fort, above the Arkansas River in eastern Colorado, near present-day Prowers. Graphite and ink by Daniel A

CALIFORNIA MINING SCENE. Cover illustrated with a mining scene, postmarked from Jacksonville, California, and addressed to a recipient in Calais, Maine, c1851

James W. Marshall
California: c. 1850 James W. Marshall who in 1848 discovered gold in the American River at John Sutters mill in California

Panning For Gold In Alaska
Dexter, Alaska: June 20, 1902. A gold miner panning for gold in Alaska

Miner Panning For Gold
California: c. 1885 A gold miner panning for gold in California

California Gold MIner
California: no date. A California gold miner at his camp with his donkeys

1848 California Gold Scale
LaPorte, California: c. 1880 A Howard & Davis Gold Scale. It came to California in 1848, and was used at La Porte Express Office, and at one time was owned by C. McLane Prest of Wells Fargo Company

A California Gold Miner
California: c. 1885 A gold miner in California with his gear

California gold miners in the El Dorado saloon at Sacramento. Color engraving, 1852
MINERS IN SALOON, 1852. California gold miners in the El Dorado saloon at Sacramento. Color engraving, 1852

California miners dancing together in the absence of female companionship during the early days of the Gold Rush
CALIFORNIA MINERS DANCING. California miners dancing together in the absence of female companionship during the early days of the Gold Rush. Color engraving, 1852

Article from the Hartford Daily Courant, 6 December 1848, commenting on the widespread excitement in response to
CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH, 1848. Article from the Hartford Daily Courant, 6 December 1848, commenting on the widespread excitement in response to the news

GOLD RUSH, 1853. A California miner rejoicing over his discovery of gold: engraving from a poem, The Miners Progress
GOLD RUSH, 1853. A California miner rejoicing over his discovery of gold: engraving from a poem, " The Miners Progress, or Scenes in the Life of California, " published at Sacramento in 1853

SAN FRANCISCO, 1850. Gold seekers living in tents and a harbor filled with empty ships during the California gold rush. Line engraving, 1850

GOLD MINING, 1853. Washing for gold in the Sierra foothills of California, 1853. Wood engraving, American, 19th century

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"49er: The Golden Dreams of California" Step back in time to the exhilarating era of the California Gold Rush, where prospectors from all walks of life flocked to the untamed lands in search of fortune. Panning for gold became a way of life as individuals meticulously sifted through riverbeds, hoping to strike it rich. In Dorset, England, sailing coach Ian Martin prepared his course for the GBR 29ers sailing team, reminiscent of those adventurous spirits who set sail towards their dreams. The Honest Miners Songs echoed through the rugged landscapes as miners sang tales about their arduous journeys and relentless pursuit for wealth. Contemporary colored engravings vividly depicted these determined souls laboring under harsh conditions while using sluices and rockers to separate precious gold from river silt. Prospectors would gather around a woman in a bustling gold camp, seeking solace amidst the chaos and camaraderie among fellow adventurers. Their colorful lithographs captured moments frozen in time - snapshots that tell stories beyond words. Clear Creek near Shasta served as a backdrop for countless prospectors' endeavors; black-and-white photographs now serve as reminders of their perseverance. A prospector's rocker stands tall today as an artifact symbolizing hope and determination - a testament to human resilience against nature's challenges. The spirit of the "49er" lives on; it is not merely confined within history books but rather etched into our collective consciousness. These brave men and women dared greatly during one of America's most iconic periods, leaving behind legacies that continue inspiring generations with tales filled with adventure, risk-taking, and unwavering optimism. So let us remember those who once roamed these golden lands - forever immortalized by their quest for riches beneath California's sun-kissed soil.