[Watercolor painting of gold mining on the Mokelumne River in California and a promissory note].Burgess, George Henry, 1931-1905, artist[1849, 1853]engWatercolor painting with a title inscription in the lower center, "Mokelume River," which depicts a placer mining scene along the Mokelumne River in California with miners using sluice boxes and hoses for hydraulic mining as well as two Chinese Americans and a female figure at the site in 1853A promissory note found behind the painting when framed was drafted by George H. Sprague at Lynn, Massachusetts, on February 12, 1849, and promises Edward Richardson one-seventieth of the proceeds from Sprague's "California adventure" in return for ten dollars. The painting may fulfill this promiseTitle supplied by cataloger.Place of creation supplied by cataloger.Date of creation supplied by cataloger.Signed and dated by the artist on the lower right recto.Inscription on verso: This Pict is to be put on a card board with a two inch marginGeorge Henry Burgess (1831-1905) was an English American painter and lithographer. Burgess received training in lithography in London, England, and in 1850 he traveled to California and established a jewelry and watch repair business in Sonora with his three brothers. During the ensuing years Burgess sketched and painted scenes of the gold fields and mining activity. He then operated a studio in San Francisco and specialized in portraiture, as well as photographic overpainting and retouching. Burgess made three trips to Hawaii in 1855-1856, 1866, and 1871, where he painted portraits of the royal family and views of Honolulu.Inscriptions in English.