The Jim Crain Collection: Texas, California & the Old West

Fri, Nov 20, 2026 09:00AM EST

2026-11-20 09:00:00 2026-11-20 09:00:00 America/New_York Fleischer's Auctions Fleischer's Auctions : The Jim Crain Collection: Texas, California & the Old West https://bid.fleischersauctions.com/auctions/fleischers-auctions/the-jim-crain-collection-texas-california-the-old-west-23552 The lifetime collection of author and photo historian, Jim Crain (1939-2025). The catalog is exclusively devoted to antique photography with an emphasis on the Old West, California, Texas, and Native Americana from 1840-1900. Fleischer's Auctions info@fleischersauctions.com

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Lot 652

[CALIFONIANA, GOLD RUSH] Watkins' Self-Portrait Mining for Gold

Estimate: $250 - $500

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Carleton Watkins (1829-1916), photographer. Primitive Mining. The Old Rocker. 3542. Outdoor self-portrait of Watkins. San Francisco: Carleton Watkins, 1879-1890. View title, series title, and Watkins' "427 Montgomery St." imprint to mount recto.

A charming self-portrait by Carleton Watkins showing him squatting next to a rocker box pouring water into its hopper to separate the alluvial gold from the silt.

A quintessential California view.

[Photography, Early Photography, Historic Photography, Daguerreotypes, Ambrotypes, Tintypes, Cased Images, Union Cases, Albumen Photographs, CDVs, Carte de Visites, Cartes de Visite, Carte-de-visite, Cartes-de-visite, CDV, Cabinet Cards, Stereoviews, Stereocards, Stereographs] [Western Americana, Western History, Western Expansion, Wild West] [Gold Rush, Gold Mining, Placer Mine]

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The Jim Crain Collection: Texas, California & the Old West

[CALIFONIANA, GOLD RUSH] Watkins' Self-Portrait Mining for Gold

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