Unattributed “William Coxe”

Unattributed.  “William Coxe.”  Privately published ca. 1884.  9 x 7 ¼ (image) plus margins.  Mezzotint engraving by John Sartain (1808-1907).  Large original margins. 

Willam Coxe (1723-1801) was a prominent 18th century Philadelphia merchant and a Trustee of University of Pennsylvania.  In 1884, Brinton Coxe privately commissioned John Sartain to execute a series of mezzotints of his family based on oil portraits from the early 18th century to mid 19th century.  This commission was to provide portraits to his family but also to document the importance of the Coxe family in the history of Philadelphia and the country.