Sacramento Railroad Station
Is anything about this scene similar to travel today?
This depiction of the Central Pacific Railroad’s western terminus in Sacramento emphasizes the mingling of people from different cultural and economic backgrounds. In the foreground, a carriage meets its finely dressed passengers, while at the far right a Chinese laborer carries a heavy load. Sacramento’s status as a growing frontier town is suggested by the presence of a hardware store advertising building supplies.
\ Artist
William Hahn
William Hahn was born in Germany, where he studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Dresden and the Düsseldorf Academy. The student body at the Düsseldorf Academy included many Americans, and Hahn later moved to the United States to reunite with his friend, the California artist William Keith. The two artists shared a studio and were active members of the San Francisco artistic community.
\ About
Oil on canvas
Museum purchase, M. H. de Young Endowment Fund