Boston State House on Beacon Hill, Antique Steel Engraving ca. 1850
€ 240
Original antique · The actual sheet photographed · Certificate of authenticity on request · Sold unframed · Worldwide shipping from € 15 (rates)
Date
1850
Sheet size
17.5 × 25.1 cm (6.9 × 9.9 in)
Condition
Good
Reference
BG-14038-144
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
Good to very good condition overall, with mild age toning, scattered spotting, and light discoloration near the margins consistent with age. Strong impression with full margins preserved.
About this sheet
The Massachusetts State House on Beacon Hill in Boston, an original steel engraving published around 1850 by the Bibliographisches Institut of Hildburghausen for Meyer's Die Fünf Welttheile dargestellt in Bild & Wort. The sheet is printed in black. The plate title reads "Das Rathaus in Boston, i. d. Verein. Staaten" (the town hall in Boston, in the United States), with the Hildburghausen imprint and the publisher's property line below.
The building is seen from a low corner, standing on its raised lawn behind an iron fence and a stone gatepost. Its central block carries a pedimented portico and balustrade beneath the high dome and small lantern, with arched windows along an arcaded ground floor. Plain brick houses and a gate stand at either side, and heavy clouds fill the sky.
The State House was designed by Charles Bulfinch and completed in 1798. The German title calls it a town hall, a reminder that the plate was made for readers in Europe who knew little of the building beyond its place at the heart of Boston.
