Wild, J.C. “U.S. Bank, Philadelphia” [Chestnut and Fourth Streets]

J.C. Wild. “U.S. Bank, Philadelphia.”  [Chestnut and Fourth Streets].  From Views of Philadelphia and its Vicinity. 

Philadelphia: J.C. Wild & J.B. Chevalier, 1838.  First edition.  5 x 7 (image boundary lines).  Lithograph on chine appliqué.  Original hand coloring.  Faint scattered foxing in margins.  Wide, full margins.  Remnants of old glue in bottom margin where tissue guard was once attached.  Very good condition.   

A lovely print of United States Bank by J. Caspar Wild. Wild was a Swiss artist who studied in Paris, and then came to Philadelphia around 1832.  Soon after he moved to Cincinnati and then back to Philadelphia in 1837.  At that time he formed a partnership with J.B. Chevalier to publish a series of small lithographs illustrating the city of Philadelphia.  The intent was to sell the prints inexpensively, at a rate of 25 cents for two images, and this was done in part in conjunction with the Saturday Courier, which used the prints in its promotions.  The prints were all issued in 1838, and when completed they were sold in a bound volume.  The complete work consisted of twenty lovely scenes of Philadelphia and four additional larger prints that show the views from Independence Hall tower in the four cardinal directions.  The project was not, however, a success for Wild, and in that year he left Philadelphia to move to the mid-west.  Though he stayed only a short time in the city, Wild’s twenty seven views of Philadelphia are amongst the most notable of the nineteenth century.

Other views from Wild's scenes of Philadelphia:

"Alms House."

"Laurel Hill Cemetery."

"Manayunk."

"Merchant's Exchange."

"Moyamensing Prison."

"Pennsylvania Institution for the Instruction of the Blind."

"Pennsylvania Institution for the Instruction of the Blind." [framed]

"The State House."

"St. John's Church."

"U.S. Mint."

"University of Pennsylvania."

"U.S. Naval Asylum."