Hoffy, Alfred "The Artillery Corps of Philadelphia Greys, (Company D). Comd. By Capt. Geo. Cadwalader . . ."

Alfred Hoffy. "The Artillery Corps of Philadelphia Greys, (Company D). Comd. By Capt. Geo. Cadwalader . . .".        

Philadelphia: P.S. Duval, 1845. 12 3/4 x 16 1/2. Lithograph by A. Hoffy. Original hand color. Very good fine condition. Wainwright: 367. 

A very rare image of the Philadelphia Greys drawn "on the spot" by Alfred Hoffy and printed by P.S. Duval, perhaps the finest American print publisher of the mid-nineteenth century. From about 1835 until his retirement in 1869, Duval dominated the city's energetic printmaking scene publishing numerous lithographic portraits, periodical illustrations, and historical works. Duval's success was his ability to attract the very best lithographic artists to work for him, amongst whom was Alfred Hoffy, the author of this view. The scene shows the Philadelphia Greys being drilled near Powelton in West Philadelphia. The company is commanded by Captain Cadwalader, one of the most impressive of Philadelphia's military figures. This print is one of the more unusual and interesting views of Philadelphia from the mid-nineteenth century.