5.5" x 7.75" trimmed whole plate tintype depicting Fernwood, the Oakland estate of John Coffee Hays, originally built in 1852. This image depicts Fernwood in its early years, and shows a more simple building whose remnants can be seen in an 1878 engraving published by Thompson & West, along with the subsequent additions. It was destroyed in a fire in 1899, but not before it was sold after Hays' death, allowing much of his personal collection to survive due to the subsequent relocation of his widow. **Fine condition. Some crazing of emulsion with some wear and slight discoloration. A rare image of what would later become one of California's most famous estates.** Provenance Colonel John Hays Collection Harry B. Crozier Collection Texas Centennial Celebration Display Stafford Engraving Company Collection Ormsby Company Collection $800-$1,200