Lot 6: Mary Park Benton (American, 1815-1910) A view of Yosemite Valley, circa 1855 32 x 52in

A view of Yosemite Valley, circa 1855
unsigned
oil on canvas
32 x 52in

PROVENANCE:
Collection of the artist
Gifted to the Pioneer Congregational United Church of Christ, Sacramento, California

Mary Park Benton traveled from New York to join her husband the Reverend John Eliot Benton in San Francisco in 1855. While in San Francisco Benton was a student of Thomas Hill. A view of the Yosemite Valley was likely painted at this time. In 1860 the Bentons moved to Sacramento and by 1899 the painting was exhibited in the Pioneer Congregational United Church of Christ in midtown Sacramento. The painting led an uneventful existence until 2006 when the painting was stolen during a late night break-in. The picture was later recovered and is now being sold to benefit the Pioneer Congregational United Church of Christ.