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Views of Philadelphia from The Port Folio. Philadelphia. Engravings.
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, including quite a number with a Philadelphia topic. The scenes were often of buildings of particular interest in the early nineteenth century, not necessarily those that are famous today. Thus these prints provide a interesting and more varied view of the city than that found in most other series of the time.
This school was located at Heart lane and Nicetown Lane, between Germantown and Frankford. It was a noted boarding school for boys, built in 1804 by two brothers, John Thomas and Charles Carre, in 1804. The located their school on the highest point between Germantown and the Delaware, a spot commonly called 'Mount Clermont.' $125
A view of the dam across the Shuylkill running between Lower Merion and Manayunk. The slope of the hill of Manyunk/Roxborough is seen from just below the dam. $225
A print of a no-longer standing Orphan Asylum, which had stood at the corner of Eighteenth and Cherry Streets. The Philadelphia Orphan Society was established by the women of the Second Presbyterian Church, and it was open only to women. The building depicted is the original structure, built of brick in 1817. Just two years after this print appeared the Orphan Asylum burned down, and it was then rebuilt on a design by William Strickland that same year. $125
In 1812, Philadelphia bookseller and publisher Moses Thomas purchased a monthly magazine entitled Select Reviews, engaged Washington Irving as editor, and renamed the publication The Analectic Magazine. Irving, his brother-in-law J. K. Paulding, Gulian C. Verplanck and, later, Thomas Isaac Wharton wrote much of the material, which concentrated on literary reviews, articles on travel and science, biographies of naval heroes, and reprints of selections from British periodicals. Illustration “was one of the magazine’s chief distinctions. Not only were there the usual engravings on copper, but some of the earliest magazine experiments in lithography and wood engraving appeared here. The plates were chiefly portraits, though some other subjects were used.” (Mott, A History of American Magazines) $175
George Strickland. "Bank of Pennsylvania." From Cephas G. Childs' Views of Philadelphia. Philadelphia: C.G. Childs, 1827-1830. Octavo. Copper engraving by William. E. Tucker. Very good condition.
Almost three decades after the publication of the first edition of William Birch's City of Philadelphia, Cephas Childs published the second comprehensive series of prints of the city, entitled Views of Philadelphia. The series contained twenty six views of major sites in the city, each rendered by a prominent American artist or architect, including Thomas Doughty, George and William Strickland, Thomas Sully, John Haviland, Thomas Birch and George Lehman. Many new buildings had been erected in the years since the turn of the century, and Childs' detailed prints provide a precious view of many of these. The detail and composition of the engravings is excellent, and they provide an fascinating overall view of the city with its new look. $125
Go to page with listing of other Childs' views of Philadelphia
Prints from Hinton's The History and Topography of the United States of North America. Published in London and Boston, various publisher: 1830-1855. Octavo. Steel engraving. Very good condition. Uncolored unless noted otherwise.
Lovely examples of steel engravings from one of the more popular nineteenth century view books, Hinton's History and Topography. This work contained text and numerous illustrations documenting the history and topography of the United States. Hinton used many different artists, all the engravings being made from drawings made on the spot. For their wide coverage, accurate detail, and pleasing appearance, these are amongst the finest small images of early nineteenth century America to be found anywhere.
Note: We get these images from different editions of the work, by different publishers. They differ slightly in size and some editions have decorative engraving around the image. Please contact us to find the exact edition we currently have in stock.
During the middle of the nineteenth century, Pennsylvania's economy experienced new, state-wide growth, sparking new interest in previously lesser-known areas of the state. Prompting travel to new communities, this economic growth also sparked publication of new books to satisfy curiosity about all parts of Pennsylvania. One of the most important such works, Sherman Day's Historical Collections is noted for its individual county histories, well-illustrated with charming wood-engravings. Covering larger cities like Philadelphia and Reading, the images also display the Keystone state's smaller towns and rural sites. Relying on first-hand sketches, the printer translated the images into wood-engraving, which allowed for mass printing and distribution of this important early set of state-wide illustrations. In some cases, Day's views comprise the only mid-nineteenth century views of Pennsylvania's smaller communities. From the well-known views of Philadelphia to the obscure country landscapes, prints from Day's volume are treasured documents of state history.
Full page illustrations. Ca. 3 1/4 x 6 1/2:
Half page illustrations. Ca. 2 x 4:
Views from Meyer's Universum Or Views Of The Most Remarkable Places And Objects Of All Countries. New York: Herrmann J. Meyer, 1852. Steel engravings. Ca. 4 x 6. Very good condition.
"Banque de Stephen Gerard." From Jean B.G. Roux de Rochelle's Etats-Unis d'Amérique. Paris: Firmin Didot frères, [1837]. Ca. 4 x 6. Steel engraving by Traversier. WC. Phillips.
An example from an unusual group of steel engraving from a set of illustrations for Roux de Rochelle's work on the United States. Roux de Rochelle, the French Minister to the U.S., included this volume in a large series entitled L'Univers. The American volume included 96 images of the United States and it was first issued in 1837. Beginning in 1839 the plates were reissued in several French editions, as well as editions in Italian, Spanish and German. The views of Philadelphia are quite interesting. Though some were obviously derived from other sources, several of the views appear to have been original with this work, including an exterior view of Moyamensing Prison (built 1832-35), and a most unusual interior view of the Eastern State Penitentiary (built 1823-26). $55
Prints by W.H. Bartlett. From American Scenery. London, 1839-40. 4 3/4 x 7 1/4. Engravings. Hand color. Very good condition.
The four views by William H. Bartlett are perhaps the most popular prints of Philadelphia ever issued.
"The United States Bank, Philadelphia." Illustrated above. JT ON APPROVAL
Go to listing of other US views by Bartlett
“G.P.” [Granville Perkins]. “View from West Park.” From Picturesque America. New York: D. Appleton & Co., 1873. Wood engraving. Hand color. Excellent condition.
This lovely view of Fairmount Park, west of the Schuylkill river, is from Picturesque America, a publication inspired by the prose of William Cullen Bryant. A charming image of Fairmount Park, the largest urban park in the world. $60
"Art Gallery." From Thompson Wescott's Centennial Portfolio. Philadelphia: Thomas Hunter, 1876. 4 1/2 x 8 1/2. Tinted lithograph. Very good condition.
The Centennial Exhibition was one of the greatest tourist attractions of the era, with visitors not just from across the United States, but also from all around the world. With all the tourists and world-wide interest in the exhibition, there were many souvenirs issued; one of the most detailed and best produced was Thompson Westcott's Centennial Portfolio. This consisted of a group of fine, tinted lithographs showing all the buildings of the Exhibition, including the main buildings, as well as the smaller state and other buildings. Unfortunately, only two of the buildings (the Art Gallery and the Ohio Building) are still standing, but these images provide us with an excellent look at what this magnificent exhibition would have looked like. This is a nice example from the series of one of the two standing buildings. $175
Go to page with listing of other prints from of the Centennial Exhibition.
Prints by Ruth Budd Gillespie. Ca. 1920. Etchings. Signed and titled in pencil. Excellent condition.
Ruth Budd Gillespie (1898-1935) studied under James Fincken. Her etchings of buildings in the Philadelphia area have considerable charm.
Henry B. McIntire was an architectural illustrator flourishing in Philadelphia in the 1950s. He was active in the Historical Society of Pennsylvania and prepared checklists of the historical prints in the collection (published in the Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography in 1942) as well as a listing of holdings of the drawings and watercolors of David J. Kennedy. His illustrations were both contemporary and historic and they are excellent for their accuracy and detail.
Welch's National Circus was built in 1837, on a lot on the South side of Chestnut Street, which from the time of Penn's Landing had been vacant. It was designed as a building in which equestrian exhibitions were to be given together with a theatrical entertainment. The building caught fire in 1854 and was completely destroyed. The lot stood idle for a few years and in 1857 the Continental Hotel was erected upon it. This hotel was replaced by the present Benjamin Franklin Hotel in 1925. $65
This building was originally for the Art Club of Philadelphia and later the Keystone Club. Frank Miles Day's intention was to provide "a restrained and refined brick and stone study of the Venetian Middle Ages." (Finkel, Philadelphia Then and Now, p. 38.) $65
M.M. Taylor. [St. Peters Church, Philadelphia]. Philadelphia: H. L. Everett, 1892-94. From Historic Churches of America. 10 7/8 x 7 1/8. Etching. Signed by artist in plate. Very good condition. $175
Prints by Jules Guerin. From Paintings of Twelve American Churches. Ca. 1930. Ca. 11 1/2 x 7 3/4. Color screen prints. All with artist's stamp in margin. Wide margins. Very good condition
Jules Guerin (1866-1946) was born in St Louis, Missouri on November 18, 1866. He was a well-known New York artist when asked to serve as director of color at the Panama Pacific International Exposition of 1915. He also received a gold medal for his works exhibited at the fair. He had a solo show at University of California Berkeley in 1917 and painted a mural in the Federal Reserve Bank in San Francisco. Guerin's mural decorations can be found throughout the United State at the Lincoln Memorial, San Francisco Public Library and the Chicago Civic Opera Bldg.
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