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1907 Richard Rummell Bird's-Eye View of the University of North Carolina
UNorthCarolina-rummell-1907$1,800.00
Title
University of North Carolina.
1907 (dated) 15.25 x 28 in (38.735 x 71.12 cm)
1907 (dated) 15.25 x 28 in (38.735 x 71.12 cm)
Description
This is a 1907 Richard Rummell photogravure bird's-eye view of the University of North Carolina. It is one of the rarer Rummell Univeristy views and one that we have not handled or seen previously.
To the left of South Building are Bynum Hall and Henry Owl Building (former Carr Building). New East appears to the left of Old East, and Howell Hall and Graham Memorial are in the foreground. To the right of Old West is New West, with Smith Building, Person Hall, and Hill Hall in the lower right. (At the time of this view's creation, Hill Hall was known as Carnegie Library.)
A Closer Look
The view overlooks the University of North Carolina campus to the south along McCorkle Place. Old East and Old West are in the midground to the left and right of McCorkle Place, respectively. The Old Well appears in the middle of McCorkle Place. South Building is situated at the center in the background along East Cameron Avenue (as it is known today). To the right of South Building is Old Memorial Hall (demolished in 1930 and replaced in 1931 by New Memorial Hall).To the left of South Building are Bynum Hall and Henry Owl Building (former Carr Building). New East appears to the left of Old East, and Howell Hall and Graham Memorial are in the foreground. To the right of Old West is New West, with Smith Building, Person Hall, and Hill Hall in the lower right. (At the time of this view's creation, Hill Hall was known as Carnegie Library.)
Rummell University Views
Rummell was an American landscape artist known for his drawings of American universities. At the turn of the century, Littig and Company commissioned Rummell to prepare watercolors of some of the nation's most prestigious colleges. From these watercolors, copper-plates were engraved, and a limited number of engravings were issued. Most of Rummell's university views are strikingly similar in style, revealing the entire campus in panoramic splendor. The views are uniformly issued from an altitude of about 300 feet, suggesting the Rummell most likely worked from a balloon. The publication of Rummell's views were later taken over by A. W. Elson of Boston.Publication History and Census
This view was drawn by Richard Rummel in 1907 and published shortly after in photogravure by A. W. Elston of Boston. This is the first time we have encountered Rummell's view of the University of North Carolina.Cartographer
Richard W. Rummell (1848 – June 4, 1924) was an American artist active in Brooklyn during the late 19th and early 20th century. Rummell was born in Canada, the son of German immigrant Frank X. Rummell and his wife Eliza Rummell. He immigrated to the United States as a youth settling with his parents in Buffalo. He relocated to Brooklyn when he was in his mid-30s, setting up an illustration office at 258 Broadway in Manhattan. Rummell is best known for his series of views of American colleges completed around the turn of the century. Since Rummell's views universally appear to be drawn from an altitude of about 300 feet, it has been speculated by many art historians that he worked from a balloon. Rummell was also a bit of a futurist and among his more interesting works are a series of speculative images of the New York of tomorrow, with vast airships, trains running over the tops of skyscrapers, and elegant sky bridges. In the 1950s, the original printer's plates for many of Rummell's university views were rediscovered in a Brooklyn warehouse. Rummell's Brooklyn home was located at 45 Bay 28th Street and later 73 Hanson Place. In addition to his work as a visual artist, he was an accomplished actor and an avid yachtsman. He founding member of the Bensonhurst Yacht Club, where his yacht, the Careless was usually docked. He was also a member of the Royal Arcanum fraternal order. Rummell was survived by his wife, Emmeline Rummell, daughter, Chrissie Atkinson, and two sons, John Tribel Rummell, and Richard Rummell Jr., who became a famous Florida architect. More by this mapmaker...
Condition
Good. Small area of infill to top margin. Some creasing.