Richmond Virginia James River View – Antique Steel Engraving c.1850

Religion · 19th century

Richmond Virginia James River View – Antique Steel Engraving c.1850

€ 239

Original antique · The actual sheet photographed · Certificate of authenticity on request · Sold unframed · Worldwide shipping from € 15 (rates)

Date: 1850
Sheet size: 14.4 × 23.7 cm (5.7 × 9.3 in)
Condition: Good
Reference: BG-14038-124

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 condition for its age with light age toning and occasional minor spotting mainly in the margins. Paper remains stable and well preserved.

About this sheet

Richmond, Virginia, seen across the James River, an original steel engraving from Meyers Universum, published by the Bibliographisches Institut in Germany around 1850. The plate is printed in black on cream paper and lettered below the image "Richmond in Virginia."

The city climbs the far bank in a long, low skyline of warehouses, mills and houses, with church spires and the temple-like Capitol rising above the hill and tall chimneys at the left. In the foreground a great net is stretched out to dry along the shore at the left, while a fisherman with a long pole stands at the water's edge near the center, with rocks and a boat at the right. Tall cumulus clouds fill the sky.

Richmond, founded in 1737, grew as a river port, a tobacco and flour-milling center, and the capital of Virginia. The James River provided both water power and a route to the coast, and the view shows the town as a working riverside city of mills and warehouses.