Engel, (Louis) William "Merchants’ Exchange, Boston"

(Louis) William Engel. “Merchants’ Exchange, Boston.” 

Boston, circa. 1852-54. 6 1/4 x 7 1/4.  Lithograph.  Mounted on another sheet with lithographed decorative borders.  Some waving in paper due to two pieces of paper adhered.  Scarce.  

A lovely architectural rendering of the building with an intriguing depiction of an ornament above the front, central door that features an eagle surmounting a globe.  Standing on the edge of the cupola is a man with spyglass probably looking for ships on the horizon entering Boston harbor.  Perhaps for an album or portfolio.  The Boston Athenaeum has this print in a curious book titled Hartshorn’s Commercial Tables by John Hartshorn (Boston, 1852) with others by Engel.  The Athenaeum also has a lithograph by Engel with the lithographed decorative border.

See Pierce and Slautterback, Boston Lithography, p. 171 for information on Engel.  We find this lithographer absent from the usual sources, such as Peters, Deak, Stark, and Whitehill & Kennedy.  A scarce city view.