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William Birch's
Views of Philadelphia


[ First Edition | Second Edition | Third Edition | Fourth Edition | Restrikes | Other Views by Birch ]

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William Russell Birch. From The City of Philadelphia, in the State of Pennsylvania North America. Philadelphia, 1798-1860. All ca. 11 x 13 3/8, except as noted. Engravings. Except as noted, all with full original color, some margins beyond platemark, and in very good condition.

When issued in 1800, William Birch's prints of Philadelphia collectively formed the first series of views of any American city, and as such they are of great historical importance. The superior quality of the work is evidenced in the scope of its conception, the artistic excellence of the prints and their fine execution. The prints provide a unique visual record of Philadelphia at a time when it was the most important and cosmopolitan city in the Western Hemisphere, and for a time was the capital of the newly formed United States. Each print illustrates a scene, focusing on the sophistication of the inhabitants and the stateliness of the homes and public buildings.

The project of producing this series was carried out entirely in Philadelphia, and while many other individuals were involved, including Birch's son Thomas who provided many of the original drawings, the prints were the work of William Birch himself. He not only conceived and planned the project, but he also drew many of the scenes and did much of the engraving and publishing.


FIRST EDITION [1800].


SECOND EDITION [1804]:


THIRD EDITION [1809]:


FOURTH EDITION [1827-28]:


RESTRIKES BY JOHN McALLISTER JR. ca. 1860:

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Other Views by Birch, not part of City of Philadelphia

William Birch. "Schuylkill Bridge High Street Philadelphia." [Inset titled: The Bridge as it will appear when covered.] 10 x 13 5/8. Engraving by Samuel Seymour. Uncolored. Framed. $2200

Solitude
William Birch. "Solitude in Pennsylva. Belonging to Mr. Penn." From The Country Seats of the United States. Springland near Bristol: William Birch, 1809-[27?]. Wove paper. 4 x 5 3/4. Etching by W. Birch. Full hand color. A fine early impression. Some old spotting and light mat burn. Overall, very good condition. Snyder, "William Birch: His "Country Seats of the United States." PMH&B (July, 1957): 250.

An elegant image from William Birch's series of twenty prints illustrating the stately country seats that were beginning to be a part of life in America in the early nineteenth century. Birch's project was national in scope, but most of the sites illustrated were in the Philadelphia area located on the wooded banks of the Schuylkill River. As Birch's prints of Philadelphia were the first to encompass all of the city, his prints of country seats were the first to illustrate this development along the river. This print shows Solitude, the home of John Penn, which is now located on the grounds of the Philadelphia Zoo. John Penn was the grandson of William, the founder. He built the house in 1784 when he came to Philadelphia to regain some of the family holdings following the revolution. He had little success and left in 1788. The house and grounds passed to his nephew who visited it in 1852, and the parcel reverted to the city in 1867. Birch celebrated this fine estate because of its British aesthetics and its connection with the founding family of Pennsylvania. $650




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Birch's Views of Philadelphia Birch's Views of Philadelphia. Two Hundredth Anniversary Edition.
S. Robert Teitelman. Philadelphia, 2000. Cloth.

A reduced facsimile of William Russell Birch's The City of Philadelphia…as it appeared in the Year 1800. The twenty-seven engravings are reproduced in full color, with accompanying photographs of the sites as they appeared in 1960 and in 2000. $45.00

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