Lake Tahoe, California

In 1863, on his second trip West, Albert Bierstadt made his first visit to California, stopping at Lake Tahoe and marveling at the surrounding landscape. While his stay was brief, the area had a profound impact on Bierstadt and his traveling companion, Fitz Ludlow. Ludlow noted, “Just across the [California] boundary, we sat down on the brink of glorious Lake Tahoe…a crystal sheet of water fresh-distilled from the snow peaks…Geography has no superior to this glorious sea.” (“Among the Mormons,” Atlantic Monthly, April 1864, pp. 494-95)

One of the original owners of the present work, John M. Henderson, was a prominent Cleveland, Ohio attorney whose firm's clients included members of the Rockefeller Family and Alexander Winton. The firm, Henderson and Quail, played an integral role in the real estate, commercial and civic advances of the city of Cleveland.