This Sign is going to be listed on Ebay. A link to the listing will be provided here after it has been listed.
One of the rarest advertising signs for a railroad has recently surfaced! Actual photograph mounted on it is connected to two of the most famous early American west photographers, Carleton Watkins and Isaiah Taber! This sign may be the only one of its kind remaining in existence. Being a heavy paperboard sign with an original photograph by a famous photographer from the late 1800′s, it is incredible that this sign has survived and is not in a museum!
This sign has just so much going for it including the interwoven real life drama between two of the most famous early west photographers, both of whom were apparently involved in the creation and making of this sign.
Sign Size: 22″ x 28″
Mammoth Photograph Size: 15-3/4″ x 20-1/2″
The actual mammoth plate photograph is directly glued to a heavy paperboard and was done by the original sign maker in 1880′s. The photograph is in outstanding condition! The heavy paper board sign itself has some damage to the edges (chipping at edges, some tears & cracks etc.) as seen in the photos, however the condition of the paperboard around the photograph and the photograph itself is excellent! There are no cracks, tears, chips or looseness in the photograph! The area in which the printing appears on the bottom is also intact with the exception of a couple of cracks in the paperboard extending up from the bottom into the “NORTHERN PACIFIC RAILROAD” lettering.
This is one of the rarest Railroad advertising signs to come up for sale. The photograph is of the interior of a sleeper car for “2nd Class Passengers” on their way to opening up Montana and the Pacific Coast. In the mid 1880′s (the Indian Wars had just ended, the Gunfight at the OK Corral had just happened in 1881 and Crazy Horse had just surrendered in 1877) Northern Pacific Railroad made the opening of the great west a primary objective.
The journey was long, especially in a hot, humid, dusty railroad car so NPRR made travel as comfortable as possible by advertising their “Free” sleeping car for the journey.
The heavy paperboard to which the photograph is glued to is marked on the bottom left “Photographed by” and “Taber, S.F, Cal.” on bottom right. There are no markings on the photograph which is important. This will be explained below.
Click either image to enlarge
In 1864, Isaiah Taber opened his first photographic studio and in 1871 opened another studio in California where he gained fame for reproducing the photos of the famed photographer Carleton Watkins after Watkins went bankrupt from poor business practices. Taber, however published Watkins work without credit to Watkins.
This Sign-Poster is a part of that legacy and connection between Watkins and Tabor. Carlton Watkins perfected the Mammoth Plate photograph and took many Railroad scenes whereas Isaiah Tabor was not particularly known for photographs of railroad work, nor was he recognized as a Mammoth Plate photographer as was Carleton Watkins, who as said, refined the mammoth plate photographic process.
I purchased this Poster/Sign at the Minnesota State Fair Antique & Flea Market show about 15-20 years ago. In 2007, my wife and I received tickets to attend an Antiques Roadshow filming in Las Vegas, NV. Having been a collector for over 40 years, I brought this NPRR Advertising to the Roadshow and a few other items.
When I showed this NORTHERN PACIFIC RAILROAD sign to Stuart Whitehurst of Skinner and told him what information I had concerning the poster and photo, he asked us to wait and then left to make some calls and confer with colleagues. After about 30 minutes, he returned and told us that “yes” he concurred that this photograph was a Carleton Watkins Mammoth Plate photograph and that he felt Tabor used this Watkins photograph to create the advertisement for NPRR.
I realize that this was just a short review by an expert, however, whether or not it is a Watkins or tabor, either photographer is famous for their early western photographs! It does seem to lead to being a Watkins Mammoth plate photograph, but without written certification etc. I can only state what I learned while at the antiques Roadshow. Interested buyers need to review the history of Tabor and Watkins and decide on their own which photographer did this photograph.
Irregardless which photographer did the photograph, this original sign remains an important link to the history and legacy it portrays in the opening of the far west to the masses of Americans migrating to the west!
Carleton Watkins (1829-1916) is regarded as perhaps the most famous early west photographer. After going bankrupt and having his photographs and negatives purchased by I.Tabor, Watkins tried starting over again in 1879 however in later life, with his declining health and the 1906 earthquake destroying his works once again, he closed his photographic career and business forever passing away in 1916.
Isaiah W. Taber (1830-1912) was a photographer born in New Bedford, Massachusetts, and went to the Mother Lode area of California in the Gold Rush of 1850. In 1854, Taber returned East and opened up his first photography studio in Syracuse, New York. In 1864, he returned to California, where he worked in the studio of Bradley and Rulofson until 1873.
In 1871, Taber opened his own studio, where he gained fame for reproducing the photos of Carleton Watkins after Watkins went bankrupt without credit to Watkins.
In 1906, the great San Francisco earthquake totally destroyed Taber’s photographic studio, his gallery and his entire negative collection, which unfortunately included Carleton Watkins original negatives as well, since Tabor had purchased and kept all of Watkins negatives when Watkins went bankrupt.
A great and historically rare “Opening of the West” item!
Below is an original 1897 Edison Film of a Northern Pacific train pulling passenger cars and pullmans. Not too hard to imagine how sooty and tiring train travel was in those days, especially all the way to the far west.