Looking Down Yosemite Valley, California

Albert Bierstadt

1865 · Oil on canvas · Birmingham Museum of Art, Alabama

Size2:3 ratio

Frame

$59Unframed print · made to order

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Complete the setHangs well with these two

This print

Looking Down Yosemite Valley, California

Sunrise, Yosemite Valley

Valley of the Yosemite

3 × $59 at 16 × 24 in, unframed = $177 → $159.30 as a set · 10% included · free shipping

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Giclée-printed to order on heavyweight matte fine-art paper

Ships worldwide in 3–6 business days after production

Arrives perfect or we reprint it — free

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About this work

Artist: Albert Bierstadt (1830–1902)
Year: 1865
Medium: Oil on canvas
Original size: 163.8 × 245.1 cm
Collection: Birmingham Museum of Art, Alabama
Movement: Hudson River School

The valley floor seen looking due west from just above the Merced River, with El Capitan rising at the right, Sentinel Rock at the left and the spire of Middle Cathedral Rock in the distance, all bathed in a golden haze. This was Bierstadt's first large Yosemite picture, painted in 1865 from sketches made during several weeks in the valley in 1863, and it established the subject that would make him famous. A small oil study of 1864, now in Boston, worked out the composition. The scale is grand, nearly two and a half metres across, and the light is idealised; Bierstadt wrote to a friend that he had found the Garden of Eden in Yosemite. Pictures like this helped build the public sentiment that led to Yosemite's protection. It was given to the Birmingham Museum of Art in Alabama by the Birmingham Public Library in 1991.

This exhibition-poster edition shows the whole work beneath original typography set in-house. The original is in the public domain.

Where it works

El Capitan and Sentinel Rock in a golden haze, the picture that made Yosemite famous, for a living room, study or hallway at 24×36 in black or natural oak. A cream, sage or warm grey wall; it suits a home with mountain views or none.

Style: Exhibition poster of a Hudson River School painting
Era: 19th century (1865)
Orientation: Portrait
Palette: cream & beige
Mood: calm
Rooms: living room, dining room, dorm room, hallway or entryway
Good gift for: housewarming, art lovers

Size. Prints at 12×18, 16×24, 24×36 in — 12×18 for a shelf, desk or a gallery-wall grid; 16×24 above a desk, console or in a hallway; 24×36 as the statement piece above a sofa or bed.

Framing. Exhibition posters sit best in a slim black frame with no mat — the typeset margin is the mat.

Pairing. Pairs as a set of three with other famous painting prints (10% off three or more).

Details & materials

• Exhibition poster — original, drawn in-house • Heavyweight matte fine-art paper, giclée printed at 300 DPI • Sizes: 12×18, 16×24, 24×36 in; 12×18 and 16×24 and 24×36 also available framed in black or natural wood • Made to order; colours may vary slightly from screen

Shipping & returns

Produced in 2–4 business days, then shipped from the facility nearest you. Delivery is typically 3–6 business days (US/UK/EU) and 5–12 worldwide. Because each print is made to order we don't take change-of-mind returns, but if it arrives damaged or flawed we'll reprint or refund it — no return needed. Full policy →

Is this the whole painting, or a crop?

The whole work, uncropped. The exhibition-poster edition sets the complete image above typography designed in-house.

Is Looking Down Yosemite Valley, California in the public domain?

Yes. Albert Bierstadt (1830–1902) died more than 70 years ago and the work was published before 1929, so the painting itself is public domain. This print is a reproduction made from a high-resolution scan of the original, which is held by Birmingham Museum of Art.

What is it printed on?

Heavyweight matte fine-art paper with pigment inks, made to order in 12×18, 16×24 and 24×36 inches; the two larger sizes are also offered framed. Colours are matched to the scan, not brightened.

When was Looking Down Yosemite Valley, California painted, and in what medium?

Looking Down Yosemite Valley, California dates from 1865 and was made in oil on canvas; the original measures 163.8 × 245.1 cm.

What size works above a sofa or bed?

For a standard three-seat sofa or a queen bed, 24×36 inches reads as a single statement piece; 16×24 suits a narrower wall or a pairing. The print's proportions follow the original, so a landscape-format painting is wider than it is tall.

About this design

A museum-exhibition poster of Albert Bierstadt's Looking Down Yosemite Valley, California — Looking Down Yosemite Valley — the valley floor flooded with golden evening light between El Capitan and the Cathedral Rocks — shown whole and uncropped beneath gallery typography. The American West, styled as a blockbuster exhibition print. A gallery-style exhibition poster: a celebrated public-domain artwork shown whole and uncropped beneath original exhibition typography set in-house — printed to order on heavyweight matte fine-art paper. Three sizes (12×18, 16×24, 24×36 in); the 16×24 and 24×36 are also offered framed. Part of the Madten Exhibition Posters Collection. — — — Printed to order and shipped by our production partner, Gelato.

Buy with confidence

The Madten promise

Gallery-grade archival giclée. Rich pigment inks on heavyweight fine-art paper (or gallery-wrapped canvas) — built to last, not a poster-shop print.

Arrives perfect or we reprint it — free. Every piece is made to order; if it shows up damaged or flawed we remake it, no return needed.

Free worldwide shipping. Made & shipped from the facility nearest you — most orders arrive in ~4–8 business days.

Secure checkout. Payments handled by Stripe; we never see or store your card.

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