War of 1812
Page 2

Prints from: [ The Port Folio | Naval Monument | Naval Battles of the United States ]
[ General selection of prints | Naval Officers ]

On June 19, 1812, the United States declared war on Great Britain, thus beginning what is known as the War of 1812. Though the official reasoning for the declaration was to defend the doctrine of “freedom of the seas,” the factors involved were many, including British support for Native Americans in the mid-west, British actions taken against American ships as part of their fight with Napoleonic France, British impressment of American sailors, and not least, American dreams of annexing Canada. Action during the war was primarily naval: on the high seas, on the Great Lakes, and on Lake Champlain. Land battles were fought mostly in the region of Detroit, along the Niagara frontier, and in the south. Neither side gained much advantage during the war, which was ended by the Treaty of Ghent signed December 24, 1814. The war didn't really decide anything, though the British never again were quite as highhanded in their treatment of American shipping and the Americans never again tried to annex Canada.

The Port Folio

The Port Folio was a new type of American magazine, “Devoted to Useful Science, the Liberal Arts, Legitimate Criticism, and Polite Literature.” It was a product of the new century, appearing first in January 1801. It began as a weekly issue until 1809, when it became monthly until its demise at the end of 1827. As with the many magazines that followed it, The Port Folio included numerous illustrations, views, and portraits (cf. above), and during the War of 1812, it contained a number of fine images of the battles and sites of that war. Contemporary images of the war are quite scarce and these are some of the most interesting.

"View of Fort Niagara on Lake Ontario from the Light House on the British Side." October, 1812. 4 x 7 1/4. $275
Stuart. "Commodore John Barry." July 1813. 4 x 3 1/4. Stipple by David Edwin. Stauffer: 711. $150
"A View of New-London from Manwaring's Hill." February, 1814. 4 3/8 x 6 7/8. Engraving. Fielding: 1852. A view of New London, Connecticut. In the distance, off the port entrance, is a small depiction of the British squadron under Hardy, which was blockading New London during the War. $225
“Queenstown, upper Canada.” August, 1814. 4 x 7. Aquatint by W. Strickland. Stauffer: 3059. A lovely view of this small Canadian town, nestled beneath the embankment on the Niagara River. This quiet image belies the fact that this was the scene of a fierce battle on October 13, 1813. $225
Thomas Birch. "South-east view of Sackett's harbour." May 1815. Aquatint and etching by William Strickland. 3 7/8 x 7 1/2. Sackets Harbor, located at the eastern end of Lake Ontario, was the most important American naval base and yard on the Great Lakes, the naval headquarters during the war. The British tried twice to capture the base, both times unsuccessfully. This image shows the tow surrounded by barracks and fortifications, the harbor filled with American vessels. $250

The Naval Monument

Prints from The Naval Monument, Containing Official and Other Accounts Of All The Battles Fought Between the Navies of the United States and Great Britain During The Late War. Boston: A. Bowen, 1816. Octavo: ca. 4 x 7 3/4. Copper and wood engravings. Very good condition.

The most stirring and, for the United States, successful action during the War of 1812 were fought by the young U.S. Navy. With glorious victories on Lake Champlain, Lake Erie and on the high seas, the captains and ships of the U.S. Navy were the greatest heroes to come out of this war. The demand by the military and the public for information and illustrations of these battles and figures was satisfied by the publication, in 1816--shortly after the war ended--of The Naval Monument. This included descriptions of the naval battles fought during the war, along with twenty five illustrations of those battles, produced in both copper and wood engravings. These are some of the best contemporary images of these battles and this combined with the scarcity of these prints makes them most desirable.

Copper Engravings:

J.B. Fanning. "United States Squadron under Com. Bainbridge returning triumphant from the Mediterranean in 1815." Engraving by G.G. Smith. $250
M. Cornè. "Constitution's Escape from the British Squadron after a chase of sixty hours." Engraving by Wightman. $250
M. Cornè. "The Chesapeake & Shannon." Engraving by Wightman. $250

Wood Engravings:

All engraved by A. Bowen unless noted.

M. Cornè. "The Wasp and Avon." $165
M. Cornè. "The Wasp and the Reinder." With hand color added. $165
M. Cornè. "The Wasp Boarding the Frolic." $165
M. Cornè. "The Hornet Sinking the Peacock." $165
M. Cornè. "The Hornet's Escape from a British Seventy-Four." $165
M. Cornè. "The Hornet and Penguin." $165
M. Cornè. "The President Engaging The Endymion, Pursued By The British Squadron." $165
T. Birch. "The Peacock and the Epervier." $165
"The Constitution In Close Action With The Guerriere." $165
"The Java Surrendering to the Constitution." $165
"The Enterprise and Boxer." $165
"The United States and Macedonian." $165
"The Hornet Blockading the Bonne Citoyenne." $165

Prints from the 1836 edition of The Naval Monument, Containing Official and Other Accounts Of All The Battles Fought Between the Navies of the United States and Great Britain During The Late War. Boston: George Clark, 1836. Copper and wood engravings. Very good condition.

"Com. Macdonough's Victory on Lake Champlain Sept. 11th., 1814." Engraving. $250
"The Constitution In Close Action With The Guerriere." Wood engraving. $165
"The Consitution Taking The Cyane and Levant." Wood engraving by A. Anderson.. $165
"The Enterprise and Boxer." Wood engraving. $165
"The Java Surrendering to the Constitution." Wood engraving. $165

Naval Battles

Horace Kimball. Prints from Naval Battles of the United States. Boston: B. Badger(?), 1857. Octavo. Wood engravings. Very good condition. Ref: Howes, U.S.Iana: K135

Prints from an illustrated history of naval engagements of the United States. First issued in 1816 under the title of The Naval Temple…, this publication included illustrations of naval battles of the War of 1812 and the Barbary Wars. The demand by the military and the public for information and illustrations of these battles was satisfied by this and other illustrated publications shortly after the war ended. Naval Battles was issued in several editions, under three different titles, with the last edition published in 1857. It is interesting to note that all of the later editions used the original wood block illustrations from the first edition (1816). Even though the prints from this edition were published long after the War of 1812, their style is indicative of printmaking of that period. Overall, a wonderful series of nicely engraved naval prints originally issued not long after these historic events.