Sewell's Art Gallery
Studio Portrait of a California Gold Miner, 1879
Albumen print
4 1/4 x 2 1/2 inches overall
With manuscript caption verso and photographer's credit mount recto.
With manuscript caption verso and photographer's credit mount recto.
Unusual CDV of a California miner with a caption that reads, “ready for work in the Soulaby Mine - Tuolumne Co. Cal.” According to lore, the Soulsby mine was “discovered”...
Unusual CDV of a California miner with a caption that reads, “ready for work in the Soulaby Mine - Tuolumne Co. Cal.”
According to lore, the Soulsby mine was “discovered” in the early 1850s by Ben Soulsby, a 12 year old boy and son of a California pioneer (also named Ben). The young Soulsby was walking the family cow home when he saw a speck of gold in the ground. He told his father who found a rich vein of ore near the ground.
After word got out, people settled the area and made a large camp which was later called Soulsbyville. First to work the mine were hard rock miners from Cornwall, England (called “Cousin Jacks”) who first arrived in 1858. Souslbyville was the first community in Tuolumne County to be founded entirely upon the operation of a lode mine. By May, 1877 the town had 2 general stores, a meat market, school, church, 3 booming saloons and several boarding houses.
According to lore, the Soulsby mine was “discovered” in the early 1850s by Ben Soulsby, a 12 year old boy and son of a California pioneer (also named Ben). The young Soulsby was walking the family cow home when he saw a speck of gold in the ground. He told his father who found a rich vein of ore near the ground.
After word got out, people settled the area and made a large camp which was later called Soulsbyville. First to work the mine were hard rock miners from Cornwall, England (called “Cousin Jacks”) who first arrived in 1858. Souslbyville was the first community in Tuolumne County to be founded entirely upon the operation of a lode mine. By May, 1877 the town had 2 general stores, a meat market, school, church, 3 booming saloons and several boarding houses.