History of Philadelphia, 1609-1884, Part 50

Author: Scharf, J. Thomas (John Thomas), 1843-1898. cn; Westcott, Thompson, 1820-1888, joint author
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: Philadelphia, Pa. : L. H. Everts & Co.
Number of Pages: 992

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One of the most important matters connected with these pictures is in the delineation of street-scenes in the neighborhood of the buildings, which are the principal subjects of the plates, The varieties of the costumes of the men and women are interesting, curious, and amusing, showing the fashions of the day. The occupations of persons who ply their call- ings in the streets are shown, and even the amuse- ments of the time, life, animation, industry, and the social differences between artisans, laborers, and people of fashion are clearly distinguished. The Birch views are actual panoramas of street-life in the city, and the more valuable npon that ac- count.

In addition to this volume of twenty-eight plates, Mr. Birch published several other engravings of views of Philadelphia and its vicinity. At a later period he issued, by subscription, a series of views of country-seats in the United States. Many of these views were taken in the vicinity of Philadelphia, several of the places represented being now within

the bounds of Fairmount Park. Mr. Birch died in Philadelphia in 1834.

than all was the slovenly style in which printing was executed. Often have I, in extreme cold weather, waited hours for a proof, till the paper, oil, and even the roller could be thawed. The work-shop of the principal printer in Philadelphia was little better than a shell and open to the winds. I once insisted that the printer should have the plank of his press planed and leveled, as it was impossible in the state it was now in to take off a tolerable impression ; and the plate I wished printed had cost me much trouble in the execution. The printer resisted all my argu- ments for a long time, being himself perfectly satis- fied with the state of his press, At length, and only in consideration of my paying the expense, it was that he gave his consent." Edwin's first work was done with an old graver, which he happened to have in his seaman's chest, and the shank of which he sharpened into the shape of an etching point, using the two ends of the tool alternately to etch and then to finish his plate.

Yet, some very good engraving was done in those times, and Dunlap, speaking of Edwin's works, says, " Ilis portraits from Stuart, in the stippling style, are unrivaled to this day." Edwin became famous as an

1 Letter quoted by Dunlap, " History of the Arts of Design," vol. ii. P. 68.

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engraver of portraits; yet he never acquired wealth, and at one time was glad to get employment as a clerk in an auction-store, doing at his leisure hours such small jobs in engraving as he could get. The last, and one of the best portraits he engraved, was the head of his friend and patron, Gilbert Stuart, painted by John Neagle. Edwin died in Philadelphia Feb. 22, 1841, in the sixty-fifth year of his age.

Freeman, the publisher, gave employment to other engravers beside Edwin : George Isham Parkyns, an Englishman, whose specialty was aquatint engraving, and Houston, an Irishman, a red-chalk engraver, worked for him. Graham, an Englishman, mezzotint engraver, was working in Philadelphia about the same time. Houston engraved a portrait of Washington for the Philadelphia Monthly Magazine in 1798. John J. Barralett, the eccentric Franco-Irishman, already mentioned as a painter, was also an engraver; many of his prints appeared in the Portfolio. Barralett was the inventor of a ruling-machine for the use of en- gravers. He also succeeded in making a valuable improvement in the preparation of copper-plate print- ers' ink. Cornelius Tiebout did a great deal of work as an engraver in the early part of this century. A cottage scene, after a painting by W. Bigg, which he furnished the Portfolio in 1810, attracted much atten- tion for being larger than the usual size, a mechanical contrivance of Tiebout's invention enabling the artist to execute most of the work without using the common graver. One of his most conspicuous works is a "View of the Water-Works at Centre Square," after a design by Barralett. John Aiken also practiced engraving about that time. William Harrison was engaged principally in engraving bank-notes. His son Samuel studied the art with him, and succeeded him in the business. John J. Plocher, historical and landscape engraver, came to Philadelphia about 1815. He engraved in line the fine picture of the Upper Ferry bridge, from a painting by Thomas Birch. Benjamin Tanner and his brother, Henry S. Tanner, both natives of New York, formed a copartnership for the publication of maps and other engravings about 1806. In 1816 they joined Vallance, Kearney & Co., in the business of bank-note engraving. Ben- jamin Tanner was the engraver of many fine pictures. Henry S. Tanner contrived a new mode of engraving bank-notes, so as to increase the difficulties of coun- terfeiting.

George Murray, a native of Scotland, who had studied engraving with Anker Smith in London, came to Philadelphia about this period, and got work on Dobson's " Encyclopædia." He was engaged, in 1813, with Gideon Fairman and Cornelius Tiebout, in issuing a new print of "Perry's Victory on Lake Erie," totally different from the designs of Birch, Barralett, and Strickland. He had associated himself previous to this with Fairman, Draper, and others, bank-note engravers. The firm of Murray, Draper, Fairman & Co. became celebrated as the finest bank-

note engravers in the country, and made a great deal of money. Murray, however, made unwise invest- ments, and died comparatively poor in 1822. W. Haines is known for a portrait of Dr. Caspar Wistar, engraved in 1805. Francis Kearney, a native of New Jersey, who had studied the art of engraving with Peter R. Maverick, of New York, came to Philadel- phia in 1810, and found employment upon book- work. In 1820 he became a partner in the firm of Tanner, Vallance, Kearney & Co., bank-note engravers. He withdrew from the firm in 1823, and resumed por- trait engraving. The finest of his pictures were a portrait of Chief Justice Marshall and a copy of Raphael Morghen's print of Leonardo da Vinci's famous picture of "The Last Supper." He has also left some large prints of naval engagements from de- signs by Birch and others. Francis Shallers, an en- graver, who died in 1821, is remembered for his valu- able work, in two volumes, the "Chronological Tables for Every Day in the Year, Compiled from the Most Authentic Documents," more than for any specimen of his skill as an artist. William Kneass, who was a member of the firm of Kneass & Dellaker, and at another time of Kneass, Young & Co., exhibited at the academy in 1813 a fine aquatint of Strickland's sketch, " A View of Quebec." From that time to 1820 he engraved several pictures, and did a good deal of work on illustrated books. In 1824 he suc- ceeded Robert Scot as engraver at the United States Mint. He died Aug. 27, 1840.

Charles Goodman, a native of Philadelphia, and Robert Piggott, a New Yorker, both pupils of Edwin, formed a partnership and published many engravings, portraits of celebrated men and prominent citizens. Goodman relinquished engraving about 1819, studied law, and was admitted to the Philadelphia bar. Some years later Piggott also gave up art. He studied the- ology, and was admitted to orders in the Protestant Episcopal Church. Gideon Fairman, a native of Connecticut, began life as a blacksmith. He at- tempted engraving with rude tools of his own con- struction, and gave such evidences of native talent that Brunton, an English engraver, encouraged him to study the art. He went to Albany, N. Y., and bound himself an apprentice to the brothers Hutton, jewelers and engravers. Fairman, having become proficient in his art, came to Philadelphia in 1810, and was associated with George Murray and others under the firm-name of Murray, Draper, Fairman & Co. Jacob Perkins, who had discovered the process of transferring engravings to copper and steel plates, and of applying lathe-work to dies, was subsequently taken into the firm as a partner. In 1818, Fairman went to London with Perkins and Asa Spencer, and some workmen, to compete for a premium of twenty thousand pounds, offered by the Bank of England for a plate which could not be counterfeited. An English engraver having succeeded, after many efforts, in imitating their lathe-work, upon the use

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HISTORY OF PHILADELPHIA.

of which they rested the impossibility of connter- feiting their plates, they did not secure the twenty thousand pounds, but the directors of the Bank of England awarded to them five thousand pounds voluntarily, in consideration of the value of their process. The party returned to Philadelphia with the exception of Perkins, who remained in London. The principle of the geometric lathe was in reality discovered hy Christian Gobrecht, but its practical use as a security against counterfeiting was due to the ingenuity of Perkins and Asa Spencer, of Con- necticut. Perkins suggested the idea and Spencer invented the machine. Most of Fairman's work was upon small figures and vignettes for use on bank- notes, but he was also a good engraver of portraits. Mr. W. S. Baker mentions two portraits of Washing- ton from Stuart's painting, and one of Governor Moultrie of the Revolution, as being engraved by Fairman. Gideon Fairman died March 18, 1827, aged fifty-one years.

William Strickland, the architect, was also an engraver ; most of his works are in the aquatint method. Several landscapes and battle pieces by this artist were published in the Portfolio in 1814, 1815, and 1816. John Boyd engraved principally in the stipple manner. His first notable work, “St. Francis," was published in 1810. He executed sev- eral good pictures between that date and 1821, and some fine portraits, among which were one of Fisher Ames, from Stuart's picture, and one of Elias Bou- dinot, after Sully.

In engraving, as in painting, native talent now began to reveal itself. James W. Steel, line-engraver, was a Philadelphian by birth. While a youth he learned his business with Benjamin Tanner, and worked at engraving bank-notes for Tanner, Val- lance, Kearney & Co. He afterward worked for George Murray, and, having become proficient in his art, set up for himself. He engraved portraits of Gen. Washington, Commodore James B. Allen, John Vanghan, Samuel Slater, Rev. Gregory T. Bedell. Three pictures in Childs' "Views in Philadelphia," "The University of Pennsylvania," "Widows' and Orphans' Asylum," and "Friends' Meeting-House, Merion," were done by Mr. Steel ; but one of his best works is that very pretty little picture, "Gray's Ferry in the Olden Time." Mr. Steel died, much respected, June 30, 1879, at the venerable age of eighty-eight years.

Another Philadelphian, David Claypoole Johnston, acquired some celebrity in a particular line of en- graving. Ile was born in the city in March, 1797, and commenced studying the art when he was sixteen years old, with Francis Kearney, and remained with him until he became of age. Ilis sense of humor made the business of book- or plate-work irksome to him, and he adopted the specialty of original carica- ture engravings, a rich field for one of his temper. His caricatures of the dandies and exquisites of the

day, of the pompous, would-be-martial officers of the local militia, made people laugh, and found a ready sale; but, alas! these caricatures were exaggerated portraits, but they were portraits still, and the origi- nals were casily recognized and pointed out. Loud were their complaints and threats. The print- and book-sellers were scared by prospects of innu- merable libel suits, and declined to invest their money in those dangerous prints, or to expose them in their shop windows. "Othello's occupation was gone," for the nonce, and the caricaturist went upon the stage. He made his debut at the Walnut Street Theatre, March 10, 1821, as Henry in "Speed the Plow," which was followed by Master Slender in the " Merry Wives of Windsor." Johnston remained with the company three seasons, occasionally engrav- ing a political caricature to keep his hand in. In 1825 he accepted the offer of an engagement at the Boston Theatre, with the hope of finding an oppor- tunity to practice his art which was denied him in Philadelphia. At the close of the first season he gave up the stage and set up an engraver's office. In 1830 he began the publication of " Scraps," an annual of five plates, each containing nine or ten separate humorous sketches. Still more comical was the lan- gnage attributed to the figures represented. These sketches, sparkling with wit and humorous con- ceit, became known all over the country, and were eagerly sought by all lovers of fun. The carica- turist became famous and made money, a very ac- ceptable companion to fame. Johnston was the nephew of Mrs. Rowson, the author of "Charlotte Temple." He died at Dorchester, Mass., Nov. 8, 1865. His son, Thomas Murphy Johnston, inherited his father's ability.

Some years before Johnston's first attempt, William Charles had set up as a caricaturist. He, in partner- ship with S. Kennedy, proposed to publish a monthly sheet, each number to contain four original carica- tures, at $1.50 per number to subscribers. The project fell through for want of support, although Charles showed some talent as a caricaturist. Among the few known specimens of his skill is a caricature done in the manner of Gilray, representing "Stephen Girard frightened at the ghost of a silver dollar," a memento of the shinplaster times. William R. Jones (1811) is known for engraved portraits of James Montgomery, Capt. Thomas Truxton, Cornwallis, Maj .- Gen. Ilarrison, and others; Richard Harrison (1815), for a pretty vignette (a water and coast scene) for the title-page to the Portfolio, vol. v. J. Cone, in the early part of the century, engraved " Philadel- phia from Kensington," for Childs' "Views," after Birch's drawing, and "Fairmount Water-Works, from west bank of Schuylkill," by Doughty. James Neagle, who practiced his art in Philadelphia from 1818 to 1822, when he died, engraved a portrait of Dr. Nathaniel Chapman, from Sully's painting. John L. Frederick commenced engraving in Philadelphia

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in 1817. He continued in this business until the time of his death, in 1880-81.

John Hill, an aquatint engraver, came to Phila- delphia in 1816. He was already known here as having aquatinted some six hundred groups of small figures in landscapes, which were etched by W. H. Pine, and published in "The Microcosm, or a Pictur- esque Delineation of the Arts, Agriculture, Manu- factures, etc., of Great Britain," originally issued in London. In 1820, Hill associated himself with the ' lished himself in Philadelphia. At the time of his painter Joshua Shaw, in an undertaking of some deatlı (1819), at the early age of twenty-four years, he was engaged in engraving Washington's Farewell Address. He was a young artist of much promise. magnitude. This was a collection of about twenty large folio prints, colored, of views of interesting spots, such as " Washington's Tomb," "The Spot where Gen. Ross Fell," "Jones' Falls, near Balti- more," " Falls of St. Anthony," "View near Wissa- hickon," etc. This fine work bore the title of "Pic- turesque Views of American Scenery," published by M. Carey & Son, from paintings by Joshua Shaw and aquatints by J. Hill.

Cephas G. Childs, line-engraver, was a native of Bucks County, who first studied with George Fair- man, whose partner he afterward became. Among his early works are many pretty views and engrav- ings from paintings. Between 1827 and 1830 he pub- lished " Views of Philadelphia." After a trip to Europe, in 1821, he formed a partnership with Henry Inman, portrait-painter, to carry on the business of lithography, employing Albert Newsam as their prin- cipal artist for portraits. About 1835, Mr. Childs dissolved partnership with Inman, and became the publisher of the Commercial List, a mercantile register and journal. He died at Philadelphia, July 7, 1871.

T. Drayton, abont 1819-20, was engraving, in aqua- tint, views by Miss C. Schetky, of "Edinburgh," "Naples," "The Cottage of St. Leonard's," " Konig- stein on the Elb, Saxony," "Falls of the Peddlar, Virginia," "Natural Bridge, Virginia." Drayton went to Washington, and was for many years in the employment of the United States government as draughtsman. He was the father of Henri Drayton, the opera singer.

George B. Ellis, a pupil of Kearney, commenced to engrave in 1821. His specialty was fine work for magazines, annuals, and books. His first noticeable productions were copies of English engravings illus- trating "Ivanhoe." John B. Neagle, line-engraver, was an Englishman by birth, but came to this country when a youth. He executed, with much skill, small work for books and almanacs, but, in the latter part of his life, was engaged principally in engraving bank- notes. He died about 1866, aged sixty-five years. Neagle engraved Smirke's design for the "Columbiad" of Joel Barlow, "Cruelty presiding over the Prison Ship," " Nelson wounded at the Island of Teneriffe," from Westall's painting, " Telemachus and Calypso," by Stoddart.

George S. Lang, a native of Chester County, Pa., learned engraving with George Murray. He was not

long in the business, and, while he followed it, was principally engaged in bank-note engraving. Hc engraved "Washington crossing the Delaware," after Sully's picture, the figures being etched by Humph- ries. Charles H. Parker, who was considered one of the finest engravers of maps, writing, and ornamental letter-work of his day, was born in Salem, Mass., and studied under Fairman. He went to Europe to im- prove himself in art ; came back in 1812, and estab-

The name of Joseph Delaplaine belongs to the his- tory of art, although he was not himself an artist. In 1813 he commenced the publication of "Portraits of Eminent Men and Women," a series of engravings, four by five inches, each accompanied with a bio- graphical notice by a good writer. The first portrait issued was that of Benjamin West; this was followed by portraits of De Witt Clinton, John Jay, Governor Joseph Heister, Governor William Findlay, and others. The project was good, and it was beneficial to the cause of art, but the pecuniary results were far from satisfactory. Mr. Delaplaine subsequently ex- hibited his gallery of painted portraits, from which the engravings had been made. He died in 1824.

Joseph Perkins commenced engraving in Philadel- phia in 1820. In 1825 he engraved a large picture com- memorating Lafayette's visit to this country. The plate was twenty by sixteen inches. Robert Campbell is principally known for his engraving of Thomas Birch's picture of "Fairmount Water-Works," pub- lished by Edward Parker. Asa Spencer and Thomas Underwood, both members of the firm of Draper, Underwood, Bald, Spencer & Hufty, were skillful bank-note engravers, but not much known for other work. Richard Fairman, in 1820, had his office in the same building with Gideon Fairman, whose son he probably was. He died in 1821, aged thirty-three years. He left no notable work that we know of.

James B. Longacre was born in Delaware County, Pa., Aug. 11, 1794. He was a bright boy, and gave early indications of artistic genius, which awakened the interest of John F. Watson. The kind-hearted author of the " Annals of Philadelphia" took the lad into his family and book-store, and afterward placed him with George Murray, the engraver, in Philadelphia. Young Longacre justified all Mr. Watson's hopes of his artistic gift. Having made himself master of his art, he left Murray and began engraving on his own account in 1819. From that time to 1831 he engraved many illustrations for books and quite a large number of portraits. W. S. Baker gives a list of twenty-nine of these portraits. The first work by Longacre which attracted attention was his fine engraved portrait of Maj .- Gen. Andrew Jackson, from Sully's picture. This was in 1820; then came, among others, the portraits of Rev. Henry

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Kollock Maj. Nathan | Greene 18221 ; Napoleon ; Timothy Pickering : Edward Rutledge, of South C'arolina, in India ink ; John Adams, from Stuart's picture : George Clymer, from Trott's miniature ; Dr. Physick, in India ink 1824 ; James Wilson and La- fayette, in sepia : Robert Morris, in water-colors/18251; Alexander Hohenlohe; Governor Wolcott, of Con- necticut ; John C. Calhoun |1525 , all of which are done in the best style. Mr. Longacre now conceived the idea of a work of considerable magnitude, which, successfully carried out, gave employment to many engravers and a new impulse to the art of engraving. lle originated, with James Herring, portrait-painter, of New York, the publication of the " National Por- trait Gallery of Distinguished Americans." There were one hundred and forty-seven portraits done in the very best style, and a biography of each person represented, written by literary men of established reputation. Many of these portraits were drawn from life by Longacre himself, and he engraved twenty- four of them. The first volume appeared in 1834, the others following from year to year. Herring with- drew from the association in 1839, and Longaere con- tinued the work alone until he brought it successfully to its completion. In 1845, Mr. Longacre was ap- pointed engraver at the United States Mint. He designed all the pieces struck after that period up to the time of his death, which occurred Jan. 1, 1869. .A year or two before his death he finished for the government of Chili the remodeling of the entire coinage of that country.

The branch of engraving on steel known as mezzo- tinto was first introduced and practiced as a regular profession in America in the year 1830, by John Sar- tain, of Philadelphia. Occasionally, however, works in this style had been produced before that time, but only in an experimental sort of way, by amateurs, without being followed up in any instance.1

This artist was born in London, England, in 1808, and was educated to be an engraver in what is called the line manner, in which style he produced very many of the plates in Ottley's folio work entitled "The Early Florentine School," published in 1826, presenting examples of the best masters successively, from Cimabue in 1260, and Giotto, his pupil, down to Luca Signorelli in 1500. In 1828, Mr. Sartain com- menced the practice of mezzotinto, and thereafter seldom resumed the art he had first learned in its purity, but mingles both styles, with the addition of stippling, in all his plates.

Besides engraving he has engaged professionally in painting in oils, in water-colors, and in miniature on ivory. In water-colors he had as instructor the emi- nent artist, John Varley, and in oils Joshua Shaw. Figure painting in oil was taught him by Manuel J. De Franca, and miniature and figures in water-colors

by Henry Richter. For some time he was employed by Draper, Underwood & Co., the well-known bank- note firm, to make designs for the vignette pictures that embellished their notes, and he also designed on wood for that branch of engraving.

In 1843 he became editor and proprietor of Camp- bell's Foreign Semi-monthly Magazine, in which pub- lication he was the first in America to print "The Song of the Shirt," "The Bridge of Sighs," "The Drop of Gin," and other pieces of a kindred nature, which afterward became so widely known; and Agassiz' article, entitled " A Period in the History of Our Planet," he printed as early as October, 1843, when the name of that eminent scientist was hardly known on this side of the Atlantic. During the same year he had an interest in the Eclectic Museum along with the Rev. John II. Agnew and E. Littell, which work was continued by Mr. Agnew alone as the Ec- lectic, and Mr. Sartain thereafter simply engraved the plates that embellished the monthly numbers. In the fall of 1848 he purchased a one-half interest in the Union Magazine (also a New York periodical), and it became widely known throughout the country as Sartain's Magazine, during the latter part of its career Mr. Sartain being also its editor. It was finally merged into another monthly of the sister eity. Besides the literary labors inseparable from these engagements, he has been frequently called on to exercise his pen on various subjects, more particu- larly those having relation to art.

His industry has been untiring, and his capacity for continued labor a surprise to those who possessed opportunities of knowing his habits. Very many years ago he had, beyond a doubt, already executed with his own unassisted hand a greater amount of work than had ever been accomplished by any one in the profession during a long lifetime. Many still living remember the time when the annuals were in fashion that there was hardly a volume of the kind to be met with that had not all its plates from his prolifie burin. Graham's Magazine during the first and best years of its existence had a plate every month by him, so too the Eclectic, and his own semi-monthly one every two weeks; all this in addition to his other engraving and literary work. His rapidity under pressure may be judged from the manner in which the portrait-plate of Espartero was produced in a sud- den emergency for the number of the semi-monthly for November. 1843. Beginning on the uniform black mezzotinto ground at past midnight, the plate was finished, lettering ineluded, when the printers came to work at daylight the same morning. Again, the portrait of Sir Robert Peel, in the October num- her, 1850, of the Eclectic, was begun at ten minutes before two, from the same state as the preceding, and at five the same afternoon a finished proof was mailed to New York. But this was during a period when his engravings were almost purely in mezzotinto, and also when he controlled the printing of his own

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History of Philadelphia, 1609-1884, Part 50

Author: Scharf, J. Thomas (John Thomas), 1843-1898. cn; Westcott, Thompson, 1820-1888, joint author Publication date: 1884 Publisher: Philadelphia, Pa. : L. H. Everts & Co. Number of Pages: 992

Author: Scharf, J. Thomas (John Thomas), 1843-1898. cn; Westcott, Thompson, 1820-1888, joint author
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: Philadelphia, Pa. : L. H. Everts & Co.
Number of Pages: 992