Painting of Half Dome (19th Century) Oil on Board. Depicts the Half Dome rock formation in Yosemite National Park.

Depth: 1 in.

Overall size: 9 X 13 1/4 in.

Sight size: 5 3/4 X 9 3/4 in.

#1570 .

Half Dome is a batholith at the eastern end of Yosemite Valley in Yosemite National Park, California. It is one of the most well-known rock formations in the park, named for its distinctive shape. One side is a sheer face while the other three sides are smooth and round, making it appear like a dome cut in half. It stands at nearly 8,800 feet above sea level and is composed of quartz monzonite, an igneous rock that solidified several thousand feet within the Earth. At its core are the remains of a magma chamber that cooled slowly and crystallized beneath the Earth's surface. The solidified magma chamber was then exposed and cut in half by erosion, therefore leading to the geographic name Half Dome. It was first ascended in 1875 by George G. Anderson, and was originally called Tis-sa-ack, which means “Cleft Rock” in the language of the Ahwahnechee tribe. Made into an emblem of the environmentalist movement by Ansel Adams, his ashes were scattered there after he died. This particular painting examines the formation from a unique angle, positioning a solitary tall denuded tree in front of it. No information can be found on the artist, or the exact year it was painted.