Race Bridge and Fairmount Water Works, Philadelphia, Brandywine, circa 1850
€ 185
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-13999-28
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 and top left corners; edges straight and without nicks. Light, uneven toning, soiled along the left, right and top edges. Foxing and several larger brown spots across much of the margin. A dark streak in the upper right margin.
About this sheet
This is an original antique steel engraving, uncolored, lettered below the view "THE RACE BRIDGE FAIR MOUNT WATER WORKS, PHILADELPHIA." A low stone bridge of three arches with a lattice railing crosses the water from side to side, with people strolling along it. At the left a steep wooded hill rises to a round summerhouse, with a stair climbing the slope and visitors on the path. Behind the bridge stand a large house with tall chimneys and, at the right, a pedimented building. In the water a man poles a small boat and two bathers swim under the right arch, while on the grassy bank in the left foreground a standing woman is joined by two young women in bonnets seated beside her.
The uncaptioned emblem above the view shows a man in a broad hat and long coat clasping hands with a Native American man wrapped in a patterned blanket, a second Native American man beside them. Below at left, a vignette lettered "COVERING THE RETREAT FROM BRANDYWINE. 1777." shows a mounted officer and soldiers firing in a smoky skirmish, with fallen men on the ground. At right, "REVOLT OF THE PENNSYLVANIAN LINE. 1780." shows a crowd of armed soldiers pressing around an officer on a rearing horse. No artist or engraver credit is lettered under the view. The imprint at the foot reads "J. & F. TALLIS, LONDON, EDINBURGH, & DUBLIN." The title spells Fairmount as two words, "FAIR MOUNT", as engraved.
The plate belongs to the 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. J. and F. Tallis were London publishers of illustrated works sold in parts around the middle of the nineteenth century, and the plates of this edition set a central steel engraved view inside an engraved ornamental border with small lettered vignettes of episodes from American history.
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.
