Mission and Plain of San Fernando

Hand-colored lithograph, 1850s, California.
Plate #6 from the United States Pacific Railroad Expedition & Survey.
Image: 8 1/2 x 11 1/4″
Paper: 8 1/2 x 11 1/4″
Yellowing with age.

Inventory Number: 10677
Marked “U.S.P.R.R.EXP & SURVEYS-CAL” on top left.
Marked “GEOLOGY – PLATE VI” on top right.

This antique print is part of a twelve volume report that was the result of a massive study of Western geography. These original, hand-colored lithographs were made in the 1850s by a group of naturalists and artists who traveled with the expedition in search of the best route for the Transcontinental Railroad. The mission illustrated in this lithograph, also known as Mission San Fernando Rey Espana, lies within the present day confines of Los Angeles County.