Unattributed “Capt. Nicholas Biddle”

Unattributed.  “Capt. Nicholas Biddle.” 

From the Port Folio.  Philadelphia: 1809.  Approximately 4 x 3 (image).  Stipple by David Edwin.  Stauffer: 714.  

One of the first captains of the Continental Navy. 

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. The Port Folio contained numerous engraved illustrations, including a number depicting events and figures of the War of 1812.  These engravings of current happenings on the battle front would have been fascinating to the readers at the time.  They also give us a privileged contemporary view of those battles fought over a century and a half ago.