Arnout. “Museum de Philadelphie.” [Also known as the Arcade on Chestnut Street between Sixth and Seventh]. From Jean B.G. Roux de Rochelle’s Etats-Unis d’Amerique.
Paris: Firmin Didot freres, [1837]. 5 ½ x 4 (image). Steel engraving by Traversier. Very good condition.
This marble structure, which was one of the architectural sights of the city when it was erected in 1827, fronted on Chestnut Street. Designed by architect John Haviland, it was introduced as an improvement and competitor to the very popular Burlington Arcade in London. “In some respects,” wrote Joseph Jackson, “the Arcade might be classed as the first office building in the United States.”