“View from Via Mala, at The Ovens.” [Mt. Desert Island ME] From "Picturesque America"

“View from Via Mala, at The Ovens.” [Mt. Desert Island ME] From Picturesque America. 

New York: D. Appleton & Co., 1872. 4 3/8 x 4. Wood engraving.  Very good condition.

One of a charming set of prints from Picturesque America, a book inspired by the prose of William Cullen Bryant.  This two volume set and others of its genre were very popular during the mid-nineteenth century.  Through their ample illustrations they provided a glimpse of nineteenth century America–much more bucolic than today–its towns, rivers, ports, important architecture, and other areas of interest.  An inspiration behind the publication was the forthcoming Centennial celebration of the United States to be held in Philadelphia in 1876, and this volume celebrates the variety and majesty of the maturing country. As stated by Sue Rainey, in her excellent Creating ‘Picturesque America.’, “As the first publication to celebrate the entire continental nation, it enabled Americans, after the trauma of the Civil War, to construct a national self-image based on reconciliation between North and South and incorporation of the West.”  (p. xiii)

Some other wood engraved views from Picturesque America(many more subjects available - please call or email with your requests):

Fort Ticonderoga [Lake Champlain]

Fort Ticonderoga, from Eastern Shore [Lake Champlain]

Lake Champlain, near Whitehall

Lake Champlain, near Ticonderoga

Crown Point and Port Henry, Lake Champlain

Burlington Bay [Lake Champlain]

Glimpse of Lake Champlain, from Summit

Lake Champlain, from Plattsburg to St. Albans