Harvard University, Cambridge, Puritans Landing in America Vignette, circa 1850
€ 220
Original antique · The actual sheet photographed · Certificate of authenticity on request · Sold unframed · Worldwide shipping from € 15 (rates)
Date
circa 1850
Mapmaker / artist
Not named on the sheet
Publisher
J. and F. Tallis, London
Technique
Steel Engraving
Coloring
Uncolored
Condition
Good
Reference
BG-13999-34
What the condition grades mean
Excellent
Bright and clean, with no faults worth mentioning.
Very good
Only light signs of age, such as faint toning.
Good
Normal signs of age for a sheet of this period: toning, some foxing, small marks or neat old repairs.
Fair
Clear faults such as staining, tears or repairs, priced to match.
Every fault we see is written in the condition note, and the whole sheet is shown uncropped in the photos.
Condition
Light handling wear to the bottom left corner; edges straight and without nicks. Even age toning, lightly soiled along the top edge. Scattered light foxing in the margin.
About this sheet
This is an original antique steel engraving, uncolored, lettered below the view "HARVARD UNIVERSITY, CAMBRIDGE, MASS." A square stone hall with a pedimented front, round arched lower windows and a domed cupola stands at the center behind a long white fence. To the left are a temple fronted building and plain brick halls among large trees; to the right, a long building with a columned ground floor and, at the edge, a tall gabled hall. Figures stroll inside the fence, a horseman rides along it, and a family group walks across the open ground in the foreground under a wide, cloudy sky.
The uncaptioned emblem above the view gathers scientific apparatus among leafy sprays: a globe, a retort over a flame, flasks, books and a tall glass vessel. Two small standing figures on brackets flank the view, a young man holding a portfolio at left and one reading from a sheet at right. Below at left, a vignette lettered "PURITANS LANDING IN AMERICA." shows a family of settlers coming ashore from a ship, men wading with bundles. At right, "LAYING OF THE FOUNDATION STONE OF HARVARD UNIVERSITY 1638." shows a man gesturing toward a block of stone hung from a tripod hoist, onlookers behind. No artist or engraver credit is lettered under the view. The imprint at the foot reads "J. & F. TALLIS, LONDON & NEW YORK."
It was issued in Hinton's History of the United States of America, edited by John Howard Hinton (1791 to 1873), the English Baptist minister and author, and published by J. and F. Tallis about 1850. The Tallis firm, London publishers of illustrated works sold in parts around the middle of the nineteenth century, set each central steel engraved view of this edition inside an engraved ornamental border carrying small lettered vignettes of episodes from American history.
A natural choice for a Harvard graduate or a collection of Massachusetts views.
This is an original antique print, not a modern reproduction. This item is sold unframed. Any framed or interior images are shown for presentation and inspiration only, unless the listing explicitly states that the item is sold framed.
