Antique J. Ross Browne Signed Pastoral Shepherd Dog Sheep Landscape Etching 29"

Description

Antique pastoral panoramic etching depicting a shepherd and a dog herding a flock of sheep down a rural path next to fields filled with harvested haystacks (shocks of wheat or grain) and a farmhouse in the distance. Published by Dresser & Schlesiger, New York. Signed in pencil lower right by J. Ross Brown. Sheath of wheat and scythe remark. Wood frame; white mat. Circa 1894.

John Ross Browne, often abbreviated as J. Ross Brown or J. Ross Browne, 1821–1875, was a well-known 19th-century Irish-born American traveler, artist, author, and government agent. He is highly celebrated for his precise illustrations, sketches, and etchings created for prominent publications such as Harper's Magazine and various government reports detailing American western expansion, mining life, and agricultural landscapes.

He was born in Dublin, Ireland. He came to the United States in 1833 where he became well known as a famous illustrator for Harpers Magazine. In 1855 he moved to Oakland, California and was appointed Customs Official and Inspector of Indian Affairs on the Pacific Coast.

In 1867, J. Ross Browne, accompanied by William M. Gabb and F. von Lohr, led an expedition to Baja California. They landed at Cape San Lucas to explore Lower California in the interest of a colonization company. The party traveled to San Jose del Cabo, and thence northerly to Triunfo and La Paz. From the last place they crossed the peninsula to Todos Santos and up the coast to Magdalena Bay. From this point Browne returned to La Paz and the rest of the party under Gabb continued across to Loreto and thence to Comondu, Purisima, Mulege, San Ignacio, Santa Gertrudis, Camalli, San Borja, ROsarito, Calamahue, San Fernando, San Quintin, Sausal, and Tijuana.The reports on this trip by Browne and Gabb in Browne's Resources of the Pacific Slope contains much interesting information concerning the physical features of the peninsula. During this trip Gabb collected a few plants of the cactuses serving as the types of new species.

Browne visited Santa Rosa Island for several days in 1874, after which he wrote a 5-page article for Overland Monthly, The Island of Santa Rosa. Browne was known for his opinion: “An honest Indian agent is the rarest work of God I know.”

A former resident of Santa Barbara, Browne died in Oakland in 1875.

Condition

Some discoloration; gentle wear to frame

Dimensions

29" x 0.75" x 15.25" (W x D x H)