after William Russell BIRCH

(1755 – 1834)

“Philadelphia”

Original engraving published in London by H.Fisher, Son & Co. in 1829, anonimous copy of the same subject printed as Frontispice of the work “The city of Philadelphia in the State of Pennsylvania North America as it appeared in the year 1800” published by Birch the same in Philadelphia in December 1800.

The album consisted of 27 views engraved by Birch and his son Thomas (1779 – 1851) and became very famous immediatly after the first edition; the plates were copied and republished in Europe too, inserted in works depicting the best known american towns of the period.

The print shows the city and port of Philadelphia from the side of Kensington of the river Delaware, in the foreground there is the iconic Elm known as the Penn's Tree, the tree under wich William Penn made a pact of unity with the indian Lenni Lenape Nation in 1682.

Nice example printed on wove paper, with the plate mark on three sides and trimmed inside the lower one, with two short tears at the center of the lower edge just restored, otherwise in good general condition.

References:

“Bryan’s Dictionary of Painters and Engravers” Londra 1903 vol.1 pag.137(Birch William).

Coopermann “William Russell Birch (1755 – 1834) at the beginnings of the american picturesque” Philadelphia 1999 pag.VII.

https://haver.blog/a-closer-lo... (Penn's Tree)

Size in mm:189 x 253