On loan to The Met The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.

Owens Valley, California

Albert Bierstadt American

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 765

Bierstadt traveled on an extended trip out West in the summer of 1872, which included a return visit to the Yosemite region where he took the sketch of Owens Valley, California. He captured the Owens River in the foreground with the newly discovered Mount Whitney looming in the background. Pockets of white snow run across the mountain range. By 1913, the picturesque Owens River water was diverted to Los Angeles, eventually leading to the destruction of the rich agricultural economy of Owen’s Valley. This conflict came to be known as the "California Water Wars."

Owens Valley, California, Albert Bierstadt (American, Solingen 1830–1902 New York), Oil on paper laid down on canvas, American

This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Open Access

As part of the Met's Open Access policy, you can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes.

API

Public domain data for this object can also be accessed using the Met's Open Access API.