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1856 John D. Bachelder View of Lewiston, Maine
LewistonMaine-bachelder-1856$900.00
Title
Lewiston, Maine. To the Citizens of Lewiston this picture is most respectfully dedicated by the Publisher John D. Bachelder.
1856 (dated) 13.5 x 18 in (34.29 x 45.72 cm)
1856 (dated) 13.5 x 18 in (34.29 x 45.72 cm)
Description
An outstanding two-color 1856 lithograph view of Lewiston, Maine, by John D. Bachelder, the famous chronicler of the Battle of Gettysburg.
City views were being produced in the United States as early as the 1830s, but the genre exploded after the American Civil War (1861 - 1865). Bridging the gap between maps and pictures, most 19th-century American bird's-eye views presented cities to the public from high points. Some were imagined, but others were drawn from hot-air balloons or nearby hills. The presentation, combining high elevation, commercial interest, and new printing technology, created a uniquely American art form, as described by historian Donald Karshan,
A Closer Look
The view looks on Lewiston from Prospect Hill, a high point to the west across the Androscoggin River, then the property of Isaac Haskell. Bachelder presents Lewiston as a bustling city, with significant mill and industrial activity, set amongst the natural splendor of rural New England. Ten specific locations are identified numerically, corresponding to numbered tables below the map. Today, Lewiston is Maine's second-largest city.Bachelder Cuts his Teeth on New England Scenery
This is no. 14 of a series of New England town and scenery views published by John D. Bachelder in 1856. The view follows Bachelder's brief career as a colonel in the Pennsylvania State Militia. Still a young man, Bachelder left the lucrative military position to pursue his passion as a landscape artist. Returning to his native New Hampshire, he completed a series of 20 views of New England entitled Album of New England Scenery. During this period, from 1853 to 1860, Bachelder developed the skills in landscape art and viewmaking that would serve him so well in his attempts to minutely capture the Battle of Gettysburg.Lewiston - an Industrial Hub
In 1856, Lewiston, Maine, was rapidly transforming into an industrial hub, primarily driven by the booming textile industry. Situated along the Androscoggin River, Lewiston harnessed the river's power to run its mills, which began to dominate the city's economy and skyline. The construction of canals and mills attracted workers from rural areas and immigrants, particularly French Canadians, who settled in the city and contributed to its diverse cultural fabric. The Bates Mill, one of the largest in the region, began operations during this period, signaling Lewiston's growth as a center of textile production. As the city industrialized, its infrastructure expanded, with new housing, businesses, and services developing to support the growing population and workforce.American Bird's-Eye City Views
The Bird's-Eye view industry emerged in the United States in the middle part of the 19th century and coincided with the commercial development of lithographic printing. Before the rise of lithography, the ability to own and display artwork in the home was largely limited to the extremely wealthy, but the advent of lithographic printing made it possible for everyone to own visually striking artwork. A robust trade developed in portraits of political leaders, allegorical and religious images, and city views.City views were being produced in the United States as early as the 1830s, but the genre exploded after the American Civil War (1861 - 1865). Bridging the gap between maps and pictures, most 19th-century American bird's-eye views presented cities to the public from high points. Some were imagined, but others were drawn from hot-air balloons or nearby hills. The presentation, combining high elevation, commercial interest, and new printing technology, created a uniquely American art form, as described by historian Donald Karshan,
Some print connoisseurs believe that it was only with the advent of the full-blown city-view lithograph that American printmaking reached its first plateau of originality, making a historical contribution to the graphic arts. They cite the differences between the European city-view prints and the expansive American version that reflects a new land and a new attitude toward the land.The vogue for bird's-eye city views lasted from about 1845 to 1920, during which period some 2,400 cities were thus portrayed, some multiple times. Although views were produced in many urban centers, the nexus of view production in the United States was Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The major American viewmakers were Stoner, Wellge, Bailey, Fowler, Hill Ruger, Koch, Burleigh, Norris, and Morse, among others.
Publication History and Census
The view was drawn by Bachelder in 1856. It was subsequently engraved by Endicott and Company of New York. This view is uncommon. The OCLC identifies two institutional holdings: one at the Boston Atheneum and the other at the American Textile History Museum Library. We have identified one further holding at the Yale University Art Collection. Scarce to the market.CartographerS
John Badger Bachelder (September 29, 1825 – December 22, 1894), also spelled Batchelder, was an American portraitist, landscape artist, lithographer, cartographer, and photographer. In his life he was best known as the preeminent expert on the 1863 Battle of Gettysburg, of which he produced the most iconic representation. Bachelder was born in Gilmantown, New Hampshire and was educated at Captain Alden Partridge's Military School in Pembroke. Upon graduating he relocated to Reading, Pennsylvania, where he took a position at the Pennsylvania Military Institute. He became the head of that institution in 1851. In 1852 he was appointed colonel of the Pennsylvania State Militia. Around 1853 Bachelder returned to New Hampshire to pursue a career as an artist, publishing various views of New England towns; 1854 found him living and working in Manchester, and perhaps this is what led him to produce four views of the city - more than any other place he depicted in print. Bachelder's military training influenced his art materially and he developed a lifelong interest in depicting the dynamics of great battles on canvas. When the American Civil War broke out in 1861, Bachelder was working on a view of the Revolutionary War battle of Bunker Hill. From his work on the Bunker Hill view, Bachelder noted how difficult it was to reconstruct a battle long after the events when most major participants had passed on. He saw an opportunity in the outbreak of the Civil War and attached himself to the Union Army of the Potomac in the hopes of being present at a major battle. He was welcomed on the battlefield, where his accurate drawings helped the generals to better understand the conflicts in question. His most significant work his an impressive bird's-eye view of the Battle of Gettysburg. Though not present at the battle, he was there day's after, and claims to have interviewed the commanders of every regiment and battery in the Army of the Potomac, as well as thousands of wounded soldiers on both sides of the conflict. His work was so precise and significant he was commended to President Lincoln and later took a position as Superintendent of Tablets and Legends for the Gettysburg Battlefield Memorial Association. He is responsible for the monuments and battlefield markers, both Union and Confederate, that can still be noted today at Gettysburg. He also organized reunions and battlefield tours. Bachelder died of Pneumonia in Hyde Park, Massachusetts, in 1894. He is interred in his family plot in Nottingham, New Hampshire. More by this mapmaker...
Endicott and Company (fl. c. 1828 - 1891) was a New York based family run lithography firm that flourished throughout the 19th century. The firm was founded by George and William Endicott, brothers who were born in Canton, Massachusetts. George Endicott (June 14, 1802 - 1848) trained as a lithographer under Pendleton Lithography from January 1826. He later worked as superintendent of Senefelder Company until the summer of 1828. Afterwards, in 1830, he relocated to Baltimore and partnered with Moses Swett. Endicott and Swett relocated to New York City in December 1831. They remained partners until July 1834 when the relationship dissolved. George set up shop on his own account at 359 Broadway. William Endicott (1815 - 1851), George's younger brother of 14 years, joined the firm in 1840 and was made a partner in 1845, after which the name of the firm was changed to G. and W. Endicott. George Endicott died shortly afterward, in 1848, but William continued operating the firm as William Endicott and Co. until his own 1851 death at just 35 years old. The firm was carried on by his widow Sara Munroe Endicott until it was taken over by her son, Francis Endicott, who ran the firm from 1852 to 1886. George Endicott, Jr. subsequently ran the firm from 1887 to 1891. Peters, in his important work on American lithography America on Stone writes 'it is hard to summarize the Endicotts. They did everything and did it well . . . [they] worked with and for Currier and Ives, yet in spite of all that much of their work lacks real individuality.' The Endicott firm was responsible for many 19th century views and plans of New York City and state as well as plans of Sacramento, California, and the Midwest. Learn More...
Source
Bachelder, J., Album of New England Scenery, (New York) 1856.
Condition
Very good. Light edge soiling.
References
OCLC 57745370. Yale University Art Collection, 1946.9.1765. Reps, John, Views and Viewmakers of Urban America (University of Missouri, Columbia, 1984), #1219.