Yosemite, CA – The Library of Congress recently acquired one of the first known drawings of Yosemite Valley, predating paintings and photography that subsequently established the valley’s national fame.
It is the first known drawing of Yosemite Valley, titled “The High Falls, Valley of the Yo Semity, California.” According to library officials, Thomas Almond Ayres illustrates Yosemite Falls in June 1855, using graphite, ink, chalk, and charcoal, capturing the magnificence of one of the park’s most famous landmarks, rising 2,425 feet above the valley floor, on a single sheet of paper measuring 20 by 14 inches. They added that Ayres’ drawings of the falls were used to create the first published depiction of Yosemite, “shaping how people across the world saw the American West.”
The companion lithograph “The Yo-Hamite Falls,” measuring 23 by 15 inches, was published by James Mason Hutchings in October 1855. Hutchings, inspired by an 1851 newspaper account of the Mariposa Battalion’s expedition, aimed to promote California’s natural wonders. He hired two Miwok guides for his first visit to Yosemite.
Designated as a national park by Congress on October 1, 1890, Yosemite was preceded by the preservation of Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias in 1864 by President Abraham Lincoln. This marked the inception of the national park concept, setting aside land for public recreation and preservation. Today, Yosemite attracts over 4 million visitors yearly.
