Rediscovered Gold Rush sketchbook earns $25K at UK auction

Colored drawing from Joseph Goldsborough Bruff’s sketchbook dating to his trip to California from 1849-1851, peak Gold Rush years, $25,000
Colored double-page maritime drawing from Joseph Goldsborough Bruff’s sketchbook dating to his trip to California from 1849-1851, $25,000

LONDON – A previously unknown sketchbook of watercolors and pencil drawings relating to the California Gold Rush and the famous Forty Niners sold at auction on August 4 for $25,000. The 76-page document records the places and characters seen by the amateur artist and adventurer Joseph Goldsborough Bruff (American, 1804-1889) as part of an expedition to California from 1849-1851.

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