A rare and highly important original lithographed membership certificate issued by the San Francisco Committee of Vigilance during its 1856 reorganization. The central text certifies the membership of Frank D. Morrell, 7th Company, and bears the printed date June 2, 1856. The richly allegorical design was created by renowned Gold Rush-era artist Charles Christian Nahl, with lithography by the eminent San Francisco firm Britton & Rey. Signed in ink by Wm. T. Coleman (President), Isaac Bluxome Jr. (Secretary), and Wm. Meyer (Treasurer), with intact embossed Committee seal. The certificate’s iconography presents vignettes symbolizing law, justice, agriculture, commerce, and civic virtue, including the mottoes “Be Just and Fear Not” and “Fiat Justitia Ruat Coelum” (“Let justice be done though the heavens fall”). These values underpinned the mission of the Vigilance Committee, a controversial citizen-led organization that sought to restore order in a lawless San Francisco plagued by crime and political corruption. Frank D. Morrell, the named member, was one of thousands of local men who pledged support during this period of self-imposed civil authority. Charles Nahl (1818–1878), a German-born painter and lithographer, was California’s most prominent Gold Rush-era artist. He lent his talents to documenting early California life through both genre painting and political iconography. Britton & Rey, founded in 1852, were San Francisco’s leading lithographers throughout the 19th century. Dimensions: Sheet approx. 19 ¾ x 15 in.; overall framed 21 ½ x 17 in. Provenance: Al and Carol Cali Collection Pickup & Shipping: Free Sacramento pickup. Shipping via FedEx within the continental U.S. available for $110 plus 1.5% insurance. Combined lot shipping available. Not examined out of frame. Visible toning, staining, handling creases, and signs of age. Seal and signatures remain intact and legible.