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Excellent. Faint toning, else a fine, untrimmed example. Size 14.75 x 21 Inches. This is the rare Thomas Pownall view of Boston, published in 1768. It is one of the earliest obtainable views of Boston, offering a glimpse of the city shortly after the French and Indian War (1754-1763). A Closer Look The view looks northwest on Boston from Castle William, across the harbor. From left, coverage embraces South Cove, South Battery, Fort Hill, and Long Wharf. In the background, the heights of Trimontane (Beacon Hill) are visible. To the right, two British ships under full sail ply the deep-water channel between Castle and Governor's Islands. The British flag flies proudly above Castle William in the foreground. 'Scenographia Americana' The view is part of a series of 28 images of American subjects known collectively as Scenographia Americana , a joint project involving many of London's top printers, engravers, and publishers. The individual drawings, including cities, seascapes, and natural scenes, were generally created on the spot by military artists and surveyors, most of whom served in the French and Indian War (1754-1763), such as Pownall. The complete Scenographia Americana is an object of legendary rarity, with only a single example (Christie's, 2022) appearing at auction in the last 30 years. The publication of the Scenographia marked a sea change in the European sensibilities and perspectives on America. While America's dense forests, rugged mountains, endless plains, and enormous rivers were understood from a strategic and commercial perspective, little weight was given to their stunning visual appeal. While many celebrate the Hudson River School of the 19th century as bringing America's natural beauty to the forefront of the art world, it was, in fact, recognized much earlier. Well-educated French and British officers, engineers, and nobility sent to fight in the French and Indian War (1754-1763) were rightly sensitive to the beauty around them and recorded it with passion, both visually and in textual missives. Scenographia consolidated these impressions into a series of compelling and evocative engraved images. Publication History and Census The view was issued jointly by London's premier map and print publishers: John Bowles, Carington Bowles, Thomas Jefferys, Robert Sayer, and Henry Parker. It is based upon a field sketch by Thomas Pownall (1722-1805), the British colonial governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony from 1757 to 1760. The original sketch was made into a painting by the Irish landscape artist Herbert Pugh (1735-1788), before being engraved by Peter Charles Canot, one of the finest engravers then active in London. The Boston view was issued separately c. 1761, as well as in the 1768 first edition of Scenographia . Rare. Of the complete Scenographia , we are aware of only six surviving examples: four in the U.S., another in England, and a sixth in private hands. The separate plates, some of which were issued independently, are somewhat better represented institutionally. References: Library of Congress, Illus. in NE1714 .S4 (folio) [General Collections]. Deak, Gloria Gilda, Picturing America: 1497-1899, #106. Stokes, I. N. P, and Haskell, D. C., American Historical Prints, 1758-B-86. Winsor, Justin, Memorial History of Boston, page II:127.
Seller Inventory # BostonView-pownall-1768-2
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