Panoramic View of New York From the East River.

HAVELL, Robert Jr. (1793-1878)

Edité par Ackermann & Co., London, 1844

A propos de cet article

Hand-colored etching and aquatint, 13 ½" x 37 ½" sheet. Excellent condition. In his discussion of Havell s panoramas of New York, Stokes (1918) suggests that the view from the East River is based on a later drawing than its companion piece. It furthermore seems to have been the product of at least two hands, as the vessels are different from Robert Havell s more eloquent style. They have been attributed to James Fulton Pringle who conceived them as staffage elements lacking the agency of, for instance, the "British Queen" or first transatlantic steamboat in Havell s twin composition of Manhattan. The view from the East River is nevertheless an impressive testament to urban development in the United States and the bourgeois taste in documenting socio-economic growth through high-quality prints. It is thus not surprising that Havell s iconic panorama is a rarity on the market with the Rare Book Hub database recording only two sales in over 70 years. The Metropolitan Museum of Art owns a copy from the collection of Edward W. C. Arnold. In its Spring Bulletin (1988), the museum captures the zeitgeist of the Golden Century of American Printmaking - a description that also applies to Havell s panorama: "The demand for images of buildings, civic events, and broad vistas made this an active period for printmakers of all degrees of competence." Lit. Isaac Newton Phelps Stokes: "The Iconography of Manhattan Island", New York 1915-1928. Metropolitan Museum of Art: "Spring Bulletin", New York 1988. #10165F.

N° de réf. du vendeur 6BD017

Détails bibliographiques

• Titre: Panoramic View of New York From the East River.
• Éditeur: Ackermann & Co., London
• Date de parution: 1844