“The 50 Stone Lithographs of Fred Machetanz” is a book created by Fred Machetanz in 1983. It is an edition of 950, signed by the artist. When viewed from the front, the dimensions are 9.75 inches high by 12.5 inches wide by 1.25 inches thick.
This book commemorates the lifetime work that Fred Machetanz accomplished in stone lithography. He did his first lithograph in 1946 and upon completing his 50th in 1980, the artist decided his work in this medium was finished. The prints were produced in editions of 100 each, except for one edition of only 50. There are only three complete sets of these prints in existence.
Now you can enjoy the entire collection represented in this limited edition book. Each reproduction is accompanied by descriptive prose written by Fred Machetanzs wife, Sara. Each book has been hand signed by the artist, with the edition number penned in calligraphy. The book is printed on archival, acid-free paper, and comes in a matching protective slipcase.
Inside this beautiful collectors book you will find a way of Alaskan life that has largely disappeared. When Fred Machetanz arrived in Alaska, the Eskimos were still living off the land and sea. They wore fur parkas and boots, and still travelled across the snow and ice led by sled and dog teams. As the collection is described in the introduction, “The fifty lithographs are not only a monument to, but the story of, a mans life: early Eskimo friends and models going about their daily activities in the traditional ways of their ancestors mark the beginning of Machetanzs life in Alaska; handsome Malemutes tell of dog teaming in sub-Arctic blizzards, trail breaks and nights under Northern Lights; there are hunts for seal and whale; Sourdough trappers and gold panners reflect living in Interior and Southcentral Alaska. A cabin speaks of pioneering; an Indian dancer and fiord are representative of times in Southeastern Alaska; one lithograph attests to the thrill and hazards of glacier ice falls; others, the first-hand study of brownies and polar bears. It is all there- documenting that vast segment of land called Alaska... Machetanz must be regarded as the master delineator of the Eskimo and early 20th-century life style in Alaska.”