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1858 Prang and Mayer View of New Bedford, Massachusetts (J. Foxcroft Cole)
NewBedford-prangmeyer-1858$2,500.00
Title
New Bedford, Mass.
1858 (undated) 20 x 35 in (50.8 x 88.9 cm)
1858 (undated) 20 x 35 in (50.8 x 88.9 cm)
Description
This is a c. 1858 Joseph Foxcroft Cole view of New Bedford, Massachusetts, the whaling capital of the United States in the leadup to the American Civil War (1861 - 1865).
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
Taking a low-oblique perspective, the view looks on New Bedford from Fairhaven, just across the Acushnet River. In the foreground timber is being loaded on a low dock - likely destined for the town's robust shipbuilding industry. Crow Island appears in the middle of the river. The river itself is full of ships and boats of all kind, evidence of the town busy whaling and shipping enterprises. Beyond, dominating the midground, New Bedford sprawls across the view. The steeples of several historic churches are noted, as are the industrial buildings along the dock, some of which still stand.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
This view was drawn by Joseph Foxcroft Cole and printed in Boston in 1858 by Prang and Meyer. Rare. In OCLC, it is cataloged only by the Boston Athenaeum. We also see an example at Yale and at least two instances of it appearing on the private market.CartographerS
Joseph Foxcroft Cole (November 9, 1837 - 1892) was an American landscape artist of the Barbizon style of landscape painting. Born in Jay, Maine, Cole studied art in Boston and apprenticed alongside Winslow Homer at J. G. Bufford's lithography shop. Afterwards, he moved to France to study with Émile Lambinet and Charles Jacque. He spent much of the 1860s and 1870s in France and found greater recognition there than in his home country, exhibiting his art at several prominent venues. He was, however, awarded a medal at the Centennial Exposition of 1876 in Philadelphia and spent the last years of his life back in Massachusetts. More by this mapmaker...
Louis Prang (March 12, 1824 - September 14, 1909) was a Boston based publisher of lithographs and chromolithographs active in the latter half of the 19th century. Prang was born in Breslau Germany where he studied printmaking and engraving from his father, a noted master of the calico process. Around 1850, Prang immigrated to the United States fearing political persecution in Germany after the failed Springtime of the Peoples Revolution, making him a 48er. In the United States, Prang partnered with another German Printmaker, Julius Mayer, establishing the short-lived Prang & Mayer firm. Ten years later, in 1860, Prang started his own chromolithography firm, L. Prang & Co. Prang quickly established himself as a publisher of post cards and other small prints, which were popular as gifts and collectibles. He was especially successful with mass-produced overviews of major battles in the U.S. Civil War, and his 'War Telegram Marking Map' was memorable for being sold with colored pencils, allowing buyers to track the movement of armies over time. Many consider him to be the "Father of the American Christmas Card". Prang also issued larger format chromolithographs of popular art and even printed his own magazine to the effect Prang's Chromo: A Journal of Popular Art. Through his magazines and limited edition printings, Prang was influential in establishing the popularity of the chromolithographic process in America. Learn More...
Ferdinand Mayer (October 19, 1817 - November 14, 1879) was a prosperous lithographer based in New York during the latter part of the 19th century. Mayer was born in Württemberg, Germany, but emigrated to the United States following the 1848 March Revolutions that swept through the German Confederation - maybe as late as 1854. Initially, Mayer was associated with various partners, including Prang, Nagel, and Korff - also German immigrants. By 1855, he established himself at 96 Fulton Street and, within a few years, expanded to the neighboring property at 98 Fulton Street. Meyer produced an enormous corpus of varied work, including music sheets, bank notes, broadsides, maps, and views. His career was probably jumpstarted through an early partnership with the important cartographer Henry Walling, many of whose maps and atlases bear the 'Ferd. Mayer' imprint. His most important publication is most likely Egbert L. Vielé's 1865 Topographical Map of the City of New York, one of the most important and influential maps of New York City ever published. The Mayer imprint appears on documents as, variously, 'Ferd. Meyer', 'F. Mayer', and 'Mayer and Sons'. Learn More...
Condition
Very good. Some minor discoloration.
References
Reps, John, Views and Viewmakers of Urban America (University of Missouri, Columbia, 1984), #1554. Deak, Gloria Gilda, Picturing America: 1497-1899, #745. OCLC 191311120. Pierce, S., Boston lithography, 1825-1880, p. 133.