Unattributed. "Plate 1st." [Fossils] From The Columbian Magazine. Philadelphia: March 1788. 3 3/8 x 6. Full margins. Engraving. Very good condition.
With accompanying article: "Remarks on the Ores and Fossils of America," identifying the six specimens.
One of the new formats of publishing that appeared in America shortly after the Revolution was the illustrated magazine. Publications of this type were intended to emulate the success of similar ventures in England, including Gentleman’s Magazine and London Magazine. A number of the illustrations in these American magazines were among the earliest printed images of American frontier landscapes. The first American monthly magazine was the Columbian Magazine, which began publication in Philadelphia in 1787. This interesting, unattributed study shows six examples of ores found by the article's author in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.