|
|
|
|
| |
|
Prints "Drawn After Nature." From Charles A. Dana's The United States Illustrated; in Views of City And Country. New York: Herrmann J. Meyer, ca. 1855. Steel engravings.
From 1833 to 1864, the Bibliographisches Institut issued a journal, Meyer's Universum, containing text and steel engravings of all parts of the world. It was founded by Joseph Meyer, and when he died in 1856 at sixty-one, his son Herrmann took over. Herrmann had been sent to the U.S. from 1849 to his father's death, issuing an American edition of Meyer's Universum and he also published Dana's volume The United States Illustrated. The following prints come from this latter publication.
Derived from Bartlett's "Niagara Fall. (From near Clifton House.)" $60
Derived from Bartlett's "View Below Table Rock." $60
The first and finest print after Church's famous 1857 painting of Niagara Falls. This was and still is considered to be one of the best American painting ever done. The painting was purchased for $2,500 by Williams, Stevens, Williams & Co., who also purchased the copyright to make reproductions of the painting for $2,000. The painting was exhibited in their New York gallery, where is was a sensation. In the summer of that same year, 1857, Church's "Niagara" was sent to be exhibited in London. There the first print, a chromolithograph, was produced by Charles Risdon Day & Son. "Both painting and print created a sensation, with the print beautifully demonstrating how well lithography could duplicate the color, meticulous brushwork, and atmospheric depth of the original painting." (Roylance, American Graphic Arts, p. 153). The first subscriber for the print was President Millard Fillmore, a native of nearby Buffalo, New York. Not only is this one of the finest prints of Niagara Falls, but it is a superior example of mid-nineteenth century printmaking. $2,800
George H. Andrews. “Niagara Falls From The American Side.” From the Supplement to The Illustrated London News. London: October 27, 1860. 11 x 17 3/8. Chromolithograph. Wide margins and centerfold as issued. Very good condition. Impressions of Niagara: 341.
The August 25, 1860 issue of The Illustrated London News was specifically focused on Niagara Falls and the Prince of Wales’–later Edward VII–visit there during his tour of Canada in 1860. The issue had a supplement on Niagara, which included a number of prints of the Falls based on drawing by George Henry Andrews (1816-1898), an Englishman who accompanied Edward on his tour. Two months later, another image was issued in the News based on a painting by Andrews. The composition and quality are much better than the usual illustrated newspaper print, for this is a very attractive and colorful image of Niagara from the edge of the American Falls. $325
Asa Smith. "View of the Meteoric Shower, As Seen At Nigara Falls On The Night of the 12th & 13th of November, 1833." From Smith's Illustrated Astronomy, Designed for the Use of the Public or Common Schools in the United States. New York, 1863. 9 3/4 x 8 1/4. Wood engraving. Paper time toned and a few small spots. Overall, very good condition. Not in Impressions of Niagara.
An unusual view of Niagara from Asa Smith's Illustrated Astronomy. Written by the principal of Public School No. 12 in New York City, this work was aimed at school students. Smith stated is goal as "to present all the distinguishing principles in physical Astronomy with as few words as possible," and his text was presented in fifty separate lessons with a series of questions and answers. The handsome charts of the planets and stars were printed predominantly in black, which makes the images as similar as possible to what one would actually see in the night skies. This particular image records a meteoric shower that took place November 1833. The two cataracts are shown from the Canadian shore and the depiction is likely based on another print, perhaps one of Milbert's scenes from the late 1820s. $125
Prints by Harry Fenn. From Picturesque America. New York: D. Appleton and Co., 1873.
One of the most important ‘view books’ of the nineteenth century was Picturesque America, an impressive work which contained steel and wood engravings, along with text, illustrating natural wonders of America from the east to the west and from north to south. Not surprisingly, Niagara Falls was one of the featured sites.
Niagara Falls has been illustrated over the last three centuries more times than any other American site. The size, power, beauty and astonishing visual impact of the cataract has been interpreted by artists in myriad ways. Photographers also saw the Falls as a compelling subject and in 1857, Holmes took a photograph of the Horseshoe Falls from Goat Island, which was made into a wood engraving in London. This image is of particular interest for its depiction of the tower and walkway leading out to the edge of the falls, shown with a number of intrepid sightseers. $75
"The Falls of Niagara--On the Brink." and "The Falls of Niagara--The American Side, From Goat Island." From Harper's Weekly. New York: September 11, 1875. Two images on single sheet. Wood engraving. Hand colored. Impressions of Niagara: 432.
A pair of views showing tourists at Niagara. $60
After Louis Remy Mignot. "Table Rock, Niagara." From The Illustrated London News. London: July 22, 1876. 11 x 9 1/8. Wood engraving. Very good condition. Impressions of Niagara: 434.
A wood engraving based on a painting by the "late" Louis Remy Mignot showing the falls from the foot of table rock. $55
View Albums. Octavo volumes with folding views. Lithographs after photographs. Original stamped covers.
Return to Niagara Falls page 1
Return to Niagara Falls page 2
To Contact us, call, write, fax or e-mail to:
8441 Germantown Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19118 USA
(215) 242-4750 [Phone]
(215) 242-6977 [Fax]
PhilaPrint@PhilaPrintShop.com 
©The Philadelphia Print Shop, Ltd. Last updated August 11, 2009
Place Order 
