Books and Manuscripts

London: John Boydell, June 12, 1775. Hand-colored engraving. Engraved by John Hall after the painting by Benjamin West. 18 3/4 x 24 in. (476 x 610 mm). Corners repaired; edges trimmed close to plate mark; dampstaining, bottom right, and along top edge; wear and soiling along edges. Hinge-mounted in mat, and in frame, 25 1/4 x 30 3/8 in. (641 x 771 mm).

An iconic image, considered one "of the best-known prints of a Philadelphia scene" (Snyder, City of Independence, p. 252), depicting William Penn entering into the Treaty of Shackamaxon with the Lenni Lenape people. To help bolster the reputation of the Penn family, William Penn's son, Thomas (1702-75), commissioned Benjamin West to create his allegorical painting, after which John Boydell based his print.