Hennepin, L. "Wasserfall von Niagra"

After L. Hennepin. "Wasserfall von Niagra."

From Abbe Prevost's Allgemeine histoire des reisen zu wasser und lande. Leipzig: Arkstee & Merkus, 1758. 7 x 10 3/8. Engraving. With fold as issued.  Very good condition. Impressions of Niagara: 9.

Prevost's important series of travels, Histoire Generale des Voyages, went through many editions, including an edition issued in Leipzig just a year after the first French edition. Not surprisingly, all of the editions included a print of Niagara Falls, one of the most famous natural wonders of the world. This engraving is a close derivative of the first image of Niagara Falls by Louis Hennepin, which originally appeared in 1697. The main difference is that the image has been reversed. Also, one of Hennepin's four onlookers was eliminated and a small group of spectators was added on the brink of the Horseshoe Falls (on the left). Also, some boats have been added in the Niagara River above the Falls. With its long run and wide distribution, the prints of Niagara Falls from Prevost's volumes probably had more to do with the spread of the Hennepin prototype of Niagara Falls than the original engraving. A delightful eighteenth century image of Niagara.