Engel, (Louis) William "United States Custom House, Boston" & “Merchants’ Exchange, New-York"

(Louis) William Engel.  “United States Custom House, Boston.” 

Boston, circa. 1852-54.   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 careful architectural rendering.  A small horse drawn passenger carriage is at the right side of the building.  A credit to “W. Engel” (blurred) is at bottom right corner of the image.

[on the back of the decorative mount is another with print titled] “Merchants’ Exchange, New-York.”   The lithographer’s name “W. Engel” is clear on this print.  Often referred to as “The Second Merchants Exchange” designed by Isaiah Rogers, the building was begun in 1836 and completed in 1842.  Ref.: Kouwenhoven, The Columbia Historical Portrait of New York, p.171.

Perhaps for an album or portfolio.  The Boston Athenaeum has these prints 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.