Description

Trained in Europe, Baumann continued the tradition of using a unique chop, or identifying stamp. At first, in 1914, he carved the Hand-in-Heart chop into the lower margin of one block from each set, but in 1918 he carved a separate wood stamp usually printed in orange. The chop was probably adapted from the symbol of a hand holding a heart in the Old Fellows Hall in Nashville, Indiana, which represented “whatsoever the hand finds to do, the heart should go forth in unison.”

The Rio Pecos originates in the Pecos Wilderness area north of Santa Fe. Filled with wildlife, the region is a mixture of meadows, spruce and conifer trees, and rugged peaks. The locale inspired numerous subjects for Baumann’s prints, including this luminous view of the river straddled by rock formations.