Huntington, Daniel F. "Lady Washington's Reception"

Daniel F. Huntington (1816-1906).  “Lady Washington’s Reception.” 

New York: Emil Seitz, ca. 1865.  21 1/2 x 35.  Engraving by A.H. Ritchie.  Strong ink impression.  Light inking to title.  Two short tears into image with one seven inch tear into image from right hand side, all skillfully repaired with archival tape and in-painted.  Some light smudging and soiling in margins.  Some cockling (wave) to paper.  Else, fine condition.  With photocopy of a key to the people in the print.  Ref: Karal Ann Marling, George Washington Slept Here, 1988.  

A superb engraving of Daniel F. Huntington’s painting “The Republican Court in the Time of Washington, or Lady Washington’s Reception Day.”  This painting by the president of the National Academy of Design was designed to show not one particular reception, but rather to be a representative tableau of the Friday evening “teas” held by Martha throughout her husband’s term.  The scene is filled with symbolism representing the august status conferred on Martha and George in the mid-nineteenth century.  The elegance of the surroundings, the richness of the dress of those at the reception, and the formality of the situation and poses all recall a scene from any of the royal courts of Europe in the late eighteenth century.  Indeed, it was likely the depicted refinement of the costumes and the obvious high status accorded to these American socialites that most explains the popularity of Huntington’s canvas and this elaborate print.

This engraving was a subscription print produced with the intent of generating a profit based on the popularity of the painting.  In the nineteenth century, artists were often able to make more money from the sale of prints after their paintings than from the original canvases.  Huntington clearly hoped he would benefit in this way, and the public exhibition of the painting in New York City during the fall of 1865 was precisely designed to achieve this end.  Huntington hired a superior craftsman to render his image in steel.  A.H. Ritchie, the engraver, was one of the best historical printmakers of the mid-nineteenth century.  He is particularly known for the clarity and richness of his engravings, and this fine image is an excellent example of his work.  The costumes, faces, and architecture are precisely and richly engraved.  The merit of this print as an excellent example of historic printmaking from the last century is equaled by its value in depicting how George and Martha Washington were accorded an exalted status in the years following the Civil War.