L. W. Currey, Inc.

FAGERSTEEN, GUSTAVUS. [Yosemite Valley] 6 albumen prints of Yosemite Valley. [Yosemite Valley, California]: Walker & Fagersteen, n.d. All approximately 15x 10 cm (6 x 3 7/8 inches). Mounted on stiff cards measuring 16.5x10.8 cm (6 1/2 x 4 1/4 inches). 1) "Three Brothers, 3830 feet, Yosemite Valley, Cal." Caption printed on the mount, no negative number. Photographer's stamp on the verso of mount: "Walker, & Fagersteen. / Yosemite Valley, / PHOTOGRAPHERS / A LARGE ASSORTMENT OF VIEWS CONSTANTLY ON HAND. / Allso [sic] / Albums of Yosemite ferns / FOR SALE. / Groups Taken With The Yosemite Falls In The Background."2) "Cathedral Spires; height, 2,200 feet." Caption printed on the mount, no negative number. Photographer's stamp on the verso of mount: "Walker, & Fagersteen. / Yosemite Valley, / PHOTOGRAPHERS / A LARGE ASSORTMENT OF VIEWS CONSTANTLY ON HAND. / Allso [sic] / Albums of Yosemite ferns / FOR SALE. / Groups Taken With The Yosemite Falls In The Background."3) "The Fissures" [caption supplied]. No caption printed on the mount, no negative number. Photographer's stamp on the verso of mount: "Walker, & Fagersteen. / Yosemite Valley, / PHOTOGRAPHERS / A LARGE ASSORTMENT OF VIEWS CONSTANTLY ON HAND. / Allso [sic] / Albums of Yosemite ferns / FOR SALE. / Groups Taken With The Yosemite Falls In The Background."4) "Vernal and Nevada from Glacier Point, Yosemite Valley, Cal." Caption printed on the mount, no negative number. Photographer's stamp on the verso of mount: "Walker, & Fagersteen. / Yosemite Valley, / PHOTOGRAPHERS / A LARGE ASSORTMENT OF VIEWS CONSTANTLY ON HAND. / Allso [sic] / Albums of Yosemite ferns / FOR SALE. / Groups Taken With The Yosemite Falls In The Background."5) "Tenieya [sic] Canyon, from South Dome, height 5,010 feet. / photographed by, Walker, & Fagersteen." Caption printed on the mount, no negative number. Photographer's stamp on the verso of mount: "Walker, & Fagersteen. / Yosemite Valley, / PHOTOGRAPHERS / A LARGE ASSORTMENT OF VIEWS CONSTANTLY ON HAND. / Allso [sic] / Albums of Yosemite ferns / FOR SALE. / Groups Taken With The Yosemite Falls In The Background." [The image shows George Anderson posing on the summit of Half Dome with Tenaya Canyon in the background.]6) "From Inspiration Point / Yosemite Valley Cal." Caption printed on the mount, no negative number. Photographer's stamp on the verso of mount: "Walker, & Fagersteen. / Yosemite Valley, / PHOTOGRAPHERS / A LARGE ASSORTMENT OF VIEWS CONSTANTLY ON HAND. / Allso [sic] / Albums of Yosemite ferns / FOR SALE. / Groups Taken With The Yosemite Falls In The Background."Gustavus Fagersteen (c. 1831-c.1890) moved to California in 1871. He was active in the Yosemite region from 1876 through 1890 and, for a time, was associated, in some loose partnership, with S. C. Walker, a photographer based in Stockton, California. Both Fagersteen and Walker "had been assistant photographers for J. J. Reilly; many of their [stereo] cards are Hazeltine mounts and images overprinted 'Successors to M. M. Hazeltine, Photographed by Walker & Fagersteen.' [Hazeltine] operated out of Stockton, 1868-1878, issuing stereoviews alone and in association with J. J. Reilly" (Mautz). Fagersteen operated his own studio in Yosemite Valley from 1886 through 1889. He produced photographic views of Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa big tree grove in 4x6 and 6x9 inch formats, as well as a very small quantity of stereoscopic cards. His main output appears to have consisted of posed photographs of early tourists visiting Yosemite. See Mautz, pp. 123, 179 and 489. Images 3, 4 and 5 are faded, image 6 is a bit faded and shows some mild foxing, image 1 has a bit of foxing, overall the images are good to very good. (#168348).