A VIEW OF FORT GEORGE WITH THE CITY OF NEW YORK FROM THE SW

[Bowles, Carington]

Published by Printed for Carington Bowles, London, 1764

About this Item

Copper plate engraving with hand-coloring, 13 x 18 3/4 inches. Several small tears repaired at lower edge, not affecting image. Very good. Framed to 17 1/4 x 23 inches. Not examined out of the frame. An early and engaging view of New York City. "One of the most sought-after prints of colonial New York is this attractive view, the earliest taken from the west. The Hudson River dominates the foreground, highlighted by a majestic British ship - its guns firing and its sails billowing - which dominates the right-hand side of the engraving. The buildings shown are numbered from one to eight, with Trinity Church the northernmost. Moving right from Trinity, we have the Lutheran Church, the New Dutch Church, the French Église du Saint Esprit, the City Hall, the Old Dutch Church on Garden Street, the Secretary's Office, and finally, the church in the fort. "The date depicted is clearly between 1724, when Trinity Church was extended to the eastward, and March 1741, when the church in the fort was destroyed by fire. These limiting dates can be further narrowed by considering that the New (later Middle) Dutch Church, finished in 1731, is shown completed, and that the original roof of Trinity Church is shown before it was raised in 1736 to conform to that of the east extension" - Deák. Bowles drew on the earlier engraving by John Carwitham, which he credits. A rare view, seldom found with original coloring. DEÁK, PICTURING AMERICA 84. STOKES, Vol. 1, pl. 31, pp.267-69. Seller Inventory # WRCAM51601

Bibliographic Details

Title: A VIEW OF FORT GEORGE WITH THE CITY OF NEW ...

Publisher: Printed for Carington Bowles, London

Publication Date: 1764