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The famous statue of Andrew Jackson reviewing his troops on the evening of the Battle of New Orleans was erected on 7 January 1853 in Lafayette Park across from the White House in Washington, D.C. 8 January 1815 was the date of that battle, and the day after completion was an anniversary. Clark Mills (1810-1883) was a self taught sculptor who was recognized for his accomplishments when working in Charleston, S.C. Passing by an opportunity to study in Italy, he traveled to Richmond and Washington where he produced busts of famous men until he was commissioned to cast the huge equestrian of Jackson. The U.S. Army contributed captured British cannons from the War of 1812 to provide deeper meaning for it. Duplicate statues were soon ordered by the cities of New Orleans and Nashville.
This beautiful lithograph was based on a daguerreotype by a photographer of uncertain identity. Blanchard P. Page in New York City in the early 1860s also spelled his name Paige in a city directory, but there was also a Cirus Page in New York in the 1850s and a Charles G. Page in Washington in 1856. $1,850
A pair of lovely views of East Rock and West Rock in New Haven. The scenes were drawn by the great New England painter, George H. Durrie, best known for his work with Currier & Ives. The landscapes show impressive, accurate detail, but still exhibit the charm for which Durrie is famous, each containing vignettes of daily life in New England. $2,600
Paul Sandby after Thomas Pownall. [A View in Hudson's River of Pakepsey & the Catts-Kill Mountains, From Sopos Island in Hudson's River]. From Scenographia Americana. London, [1761-68]. 11 1/4 x 19 1/2 (sheet). Painted and engraved by Paul Sandby. Line engraving with hand color. Trimmed to image. Tape repairs on back. Cf. Deak: 106. Cresswell: 558.
Thomas Pownall, born in England in 1722, served in North America in various official positions between 1753 and 1760, including Governor of Massachusetts and South Carolina. During this time, Pownall traveled about the colonies, keeping a journal and making sketches of the sites he visited. Upon his return to England, Pownall hired Paul Sandby, the drawing master at the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich, England, to work with him on producing a set of engraved scenes based upon Pownall's sketches. This set was entitled Six Remarkable Views in the Provinces of New-York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania in North America, and it was first published in 1761. In 1768 these prints were incorporated into Scenographia Americana, a portfolio containing twenty-eight prints by Pownall and other artists. The engraving of the prints in these series is superb, with texture, lighting, and motion all conveyed with remarkable vividness. This print was issued in this series and shows the area near Poughkeepsie looking from Esopus Island which is half way between Hyde Park and Staatsburg today. The landscape is archetypical of the potential bounty of the continent which the British had fought for in the just ended French and Indian Wars and which they were soon to lose in the Revolution. Pownall was a strong supporter of the argument that the American colonies were of such potential that the British should do everything possible to keep them within the British empire. This is an excellent example of Pownall's point, a strong symbol of wealth and potential in the "New World." $600
James Hamilton after daguerreotypes by J.M. Hewitt. "Ashland, The Homestead of Henry Clay near Lexington, Ky." Philadelphia: Henry Sartain & Chicago: R.R. Landon, 1863. Mezzotint by John Sartain. 15 1/2 x 27. Very good condition.
Henry Clay was one of the great Americans of the nineteenth century, perhaps the greatest figure not elected President, though he ran five times from 1824 to 1848. The was the culmination of Clay's Senatorial career was the "Compromise of 1850," a futile attempt to keep the Union from falling apart over the issue of slavery. With the debate over this topic tearing apart the country that Clay worked so hard to save, many in the 1860s looked back on the "Great Compromiser" as a figure important in the struggle to preserve the Union, especially with his roots in the border state of Kentucky. This handsome image commemorating Clay shows his stately Georgian mansion, through the trees of a magnificent lawn, Clay sits in a chair under a towering tree (with a symbolically broken branch), while in the distance a pair of cows are tended by a vested gentleman in a top hat. Besides its historic interest, this is a particularly fine example of John Sartain's exceptional engraving. $975
Andrew W. Melrose. "Lake George." [Sabbath Day Point/Roger's Slide]. Washington: A. Melrose, ca. 1885. 21 1/2 x 35 1/2. Chromolithograph by Raphael Tuck and Sons. Margins trimmed to image as issued. Vibrant colors. Very good to excellent condition. In period frame.
Andrew Melrose (1836-1901) was an artist of American landscapes. He had studios in Hoboken and Guttenburg, New Jersey during the 1870s and 1880s. He is particularly known for his paintings of views from North Carolina to New England, though he also produced images of Ireland, the Tyrols and Cornwall, England. This lovely and colorful Adirondack scene shows the area of Sabbath Day Point, near the present day town of Hague, New York. The view is looking north. In the background, on the left is Roger's Slide. In foreground, is a cabin with people unloading provisions on the shore. In the middle distance a flat bottom boat is ferrying people to another location on the lake. Melrose published a number of large chromolithographs after his paintings. Many artists tried selling these large and colorful prints to make extra money and to help establish their reputations. This is an excellent example of nineteenth century chromolithography used to reproduce American paintings. $3,200
Joshua Shaw. "Passaic Falls, New Jersey." From Picturesque Views of American Scenery. Philadelphia: M. Carey & Son, 1819-21. 10 x 13 7/8. Aquatint with line etching by John Hill. Original hand color. Full margins. Hand colored. Very good condition.
A rare print from a very interesting series of American views that combine the work of some of the most talented Americans of the early nineteenth century. Joshua Shaw (ca. 1777-1860) was born and trained in England, and he became so enthralled by his new country that he conceived the grand scheme of producing a folio of prints based on "correct delineations of some of the most prominent beauties of notable scenery." He planned to travel throughout the United States to make his drawings, and to issue the prints by subscription in six sets of six views each. This was the first systematic attempt to depict the American landscape, and it is a foundation work in the history of American color-plates. Only eighteen of the intended thirty-six prints were produced, for either Shaw ran out of energy, or the public did not sufficiently support the venture. The aquatinting of the prints was done by John Hill (1770-1850), who was another Englishman who had just settled in Philadelphia. This was Hill's first major American commission, and the next year he moved to New York City where he further enhanced his reputation as the premier aquatinter in the country. The publisher of the series, Mathew Carey & Son, was no less illustrious than the others. Mathew Carey was perhaps the dominate American publisher of the first two decades of the nineteenth century, and the successor firms of Carey & Son, and then Carey & Lea continued to play an important part in the history of American maps, books and prints. The prints from this series are rare and lovely. They are beautifully rendered, exquisitely aquatinted and finely colored. $1,800
Go to page with other views from the Shaw-Hill series
Go to page 2 of selection of interesting views
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