New York Views

William Reese Company AMERICANA • RARE BOOKS • LITERATURE AMERICAN ART • PHOTOGRAPHY 409 TEMPLE STREET NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT 06511 (203) 789-8081 FAX (203) 865-7653 [email protected] www.williamreesecompany.com New York Views New York City Hall 1. Bachmann, John: NEW YORK CITY HALL, PARK AND ENVIRONS. New York. [ca. 1849]. Tinted lithograph with additional hand-coloring, 13½ x 18¼ inches. Mild foxing. Very good. Matted and framed. An attractive view of Broadway, New York City by famed artist John Bachmann who was, at the time, only at the beginning of a brilliant printmaking career. According to Reps, Bachmann executed two views of New York City in 1849, though Reps does not record this one. Here, Bachmann portrays Broadway in a clean and very inviting manner. “Along the broad thoroughfare moves a smart array of carriages, coaches, and fashionably-dressed pedestrians. The fountain playing in the imperfect triangle of City Hall Park had now permanently replaced the temporary one erected there during the Croton Water Celebration that took place there in 1842. Beyond the fountain is City Hall itself, admired by residents and visitors alike for its architectural splendor: a successful adaptation of French Renaissance and American colonial influences” – Deák. Bachmann’s reputation as a fine artist, lithographer, and printer is assured through his work, even if only considering his New York City views. Little is known of the man himself, though he is believed to have emigrated from Germany in the 1840s, bringing with him a fully-developed style and competence unusual for the period. “No finer artist of city views worked in America than John Bachmann” – Reps. A fantastic and rare view of New York’s famed City Hall, an important depiction of lower Manhattan and Broadway in the middle of the 19th century. DEÁK, PICTURING AMERICA 596. STOKES, ICONOGRAPHY OF MANHATTAN ISLAND III, p.902. STOKES & HASKELL, AMERICAN HISTORICAL PRINTS, ca. 1849-E-117, p.105. REPS, VIEWS & VIEWMAKERS, pp.160-61. $2000. Where New York Public Now Stands 2. Bachmann, John: BIRD’S EYE VIEW OF THE NEW YORK CRYSTAL PALACE AND ENVIRONS. New York. 1853. Large color lithograph, approximately 23 x 31 inches. Matted and framed. Very good. Large bird’s-eye view of the New York Crystal Palace from the north with downtown Manhattan and Brooklyn in the background. Printed in color by Bachmann. Reps appraised Bachmann in the following glowing terms: “No finer artist of city views worked in America than John Bachmann.” The New York Crystal Palace imitated the more famous Crystal Palace built in Hyde Park in London as an exhibition hall, matching its revolutionary iron and glass construction and serving a similar purpose as an exhibition hall. Opened in 1853, the year this view was made, in burned down in 1858. It sat on the present site of Bryant Park, immediately to the west of the New York Public Library, and over some of the NYPL stacks. Immediately to the east was the Egyptian Revival style reservoir at the terminal point of the Croton Aqueduct. This was demolished in the early 20th century to make way for the present NYPL building. REPS, VIEWS AND VIEWMAKERS OF URBAN AMERICA, p.160. $6750. Magnificent Hudson River View 3. Bennett, William James: WEST POINT, FROM ABOVE WASHINGTON VALLEY LOOKING DOWN THE RIVER. New York: Parker & Clover, 1834. Handcolored aquatint after George Cooke. Sheet size: 20 x 27 inches. In good condition, laid onto thin wove paper. Matted. First state of this spectacular image of the Hudson and West Point: focusing “on the beauty of the Hudson River and the mountains that border it on either side...a celebration of nature, highlighting the ever-changing drama staged by mountains, water, and sky” (Deák). William James Bennett (ca. 1787-1844) was born in England and received his training at the Royal Academy. He emigrated to the United States in 1826, and is best known for his views of American cities, including the Hudson Valley Region, Niagara Falls, and numerous port cities such as New York, Charleston, and Buffalo. With the arrival of William Bennett and several other emigre artists such as William Guy Wall and John Hill, the quality of aquatint engraving in America was elevated to a level equaling, or perhaps even surpassing, that of European printmakers. This print was published at the beginning of an important period in the history of American topographical view-making. “Bennett etched four prints after paintings by George Cooke (1793-1849) in his series of views of American cities... American-born George Cooke was a prolific painter of portraits, views, and historical subjects. He painted this scene of West Point in 1832 after he had left New York...for...the Catskill mountains” – Deák, William James Bennett (p.78). “Cooke benefited from the remarkable craftsmanship of...Bennett, who endowed the rendering with a radiant quality” – Deák, Picturing America (p.277). R.A. De Silva, William James Bennett Painter and Engraver (1970), pp.68-70. DEÁK, WILLIAM JAMES BENNETT MASTER OF THE AQUATINT VIEW (New York, 1988), checklist no. 22. DEÁK, PICTURING AMERICA 412. STAUFFER 151. $16,000. Handsome View by Bennett 4. Bennett, William James: TROY. TAKEN FROM THE WEST BANK OF THE HUDSON, IN FRONT OF THE UNITED STATES ARSENAL. New York: Henry J. Megarey, 1838. Colored aquatint, image area 17¾ x 25½ inches. Mild toning. Very good. Matted and framed. A wonderfully energetic and skillfully hand-colored view of Troy, New York from across the Hudson River, produced by Henry J. Megarey, the publisher of The Hudson River Portfolio. The artist, William James Bennett was a London-born wa- tercolor painter and aquatint engraver, probably most famous for his 1841 view of New Orleans, one the finest depictions of American maritime commerce ever printed, and part of the same series of American city views as the current example. Bennett’s Troy view is striking in its own right. “In this beautiful aquatint of Troy by the artist, William James Bennett we see a well-developed and busy city. The white-columned building in the left center is the First Presbyterian Church, erected in 1835-1836 (just in time to be included in the aquatint) and still standing today. The square tower with pin- nacles to its right is Saint Paul’s Protestant Episcopal Church, erected in 1827-1828 and also still standing.... Making its way along the Hudson, further to the right, is the steam packet John Mason, its deck, fore and aft, crowded with passen- gers. On the viewer’s side of the Hudson, we are given a good idea of what well-dressed young men of the 1830s might be wearing.... As is typical of Bennett’s work, this view of Troy is a well-balanced pictorial image, containing elements of landscape and riverscape painting” – Deák. Deák refers to Bennett’s series of nineteen scenes of late 1830s – early 1840s urban America as “the finest collection of folio views of American cities.” The present example is a first state copy, with the word “TROY” unshaded. Exceedingly rare. DEÁK, PICTURING AMERICA 479. STOKES, ICONOGRAPHY OF MANHATTAN ISLAND III, pp.619-22. STOKES & HASKELL, AMERICAN HISTORICAL PRINTS, P.1837-E-53, pp.83-84. FIELDING, AMERICAN ENGRAVERS 152. ENO 494. $7500. 5. Bodmer, Karl: ENTRY TO THE BAY OF NEW-YORK TAKEN FROM STATEN ISLAND. Coblenz, Paris, and London. [ca. 1839-1842]. Handcolored engraving, 10 x 13½ inches; matted and framed to 14 x 19 inches. Clean and fresh, handsome modern color. Very good. A handsome view from Staten Island, captured by Swiss artist Karl Bodmer upon his arrival in New York harbor in the Fall of 1832. The plate shows the bay speckled with the sails of small boats, guarded by Fort Lafayette, with sweeping rain clouds in the distance. In the foreground, a couple stands by a small tree, taking in the view. This is plate XXXIII from Bodmer and Prince Maximilian’s magnificent travels through the United States. Prince Maximilian was already an experienced naturalist and explorer in 1832, having made an important scientific ex- pedition to Brazil in 1815-17. His preparations for his trip to North America including retaining the skilled artist, Karl Bodmer, to record illustrations of the journey. Arriving in the fall of 1832, the Prince ascended the Missouri River in the spring of 1833, going as far upstream as the American Fur Company post of Fort Mackenzie in present-day Montana, and spending the winter at Fort Clark, near the Mandan Indian villages. During this prolonged stay, he and Bodmer had ample opportunity to observe the Indian tribes of the Upper Missouri in their full glory, carefully recorded by Bodmer in watercolors. In the spring of 1834 they returned to Europe, and devoted the next five years to preparing the text and plates for this publication. ABBEY 615. GRAFF 4648. HOWES M443a, WAGNER-CAMP 76. $1000. Wonderful Large View of New York 6. Bornet, John: PANORAMA OF THE HARBOR OF NEW YORK, STATEN ISLAND AND THE NARROWS. New York. 1854. Large color lithograph, approximately 26¾ x 37¾ inches. Matted and framed. Very good. Large bird’s-eye view of New York City with Staten Island and the Narrows in the foreground. “Bornet’s harbor view features Manhattan (upper right) and Staten Island marking the city’s Atlantic gateway. A line of ships entering and leaving via the Narrows indicates the city’s connection to the rest of the world, which provided commerce vital to the city’s eco- nomic and cultural well-being. The majority of immigrants also passed through the Narrows on the final leg of the journey that brought them to New York” – Symmes.

Load more