Books and Manuscripts

Rare Hand-Colored Copy of Wild's Seminal Views of Philadelphia

(Wild, John Caspar)
(Panorama and Views of Philadelphia and its Vicinity)
(Philadelphia): J.T. Bowen, 1838. 4to. Second collected edition (third overall edition). Comprising four finely hand-colored lithographic panoramic plates and 20 hand-colored lithographic views, on heavy wove paper (each plate signed in stone “On Stone by J.C. Wild” and copyrighted J.T. Bowen, 1838); each view with letterpress text, by Ezra Holden and Andrew M'Makin; title-page wanting. Each plate measuring about 13 3/8 x 9 1/2 in. (340 x 241 mm). Modern full red-orange niger, stamped in gilt, dark green morocco spine label; top edge gilt, other edges trimmed; by Pennsylvania bookbinder Fred Shihadeh; ownership inscription of Philadelphia industrialist Effingham Buckley Morris at front; top and bottom edge of panoramic plates trimmed close, cropping some imprint, plate numbers, and title on top edge, pencil notations in imprint of same ("North", “South”, “Pl. 1”, “Pl. 2”, etc.); light soiling and spotting in text and plates; faint inscription below eighth plate. Snyder, J.C. Wild and His Philadelphia Views, pp. 65-68 (Third Edition); Howes W-410; Sabin 103971; see Wainwright (panorama's second state, views second and third states); see Deak 482; OCLC 8746579 (locating five copies)

A rare completely hand-colored copy of John Caspar Wild's seminal views of Philadelphia. The third major series of views of the city following William Birch and C.G. Childs, Wild's “output of Philadelphia scenes must be appraised as possessing very considerable merit both from the historical and artistic viewpoints. As a historical record of the city, more than half the plates depict subjects not recorded in the earlier books of Philadelphia views, including such landmarks as the Merchants' Exchange, the Blockley Almshouse (nucleus of the Philadelphia General Hospital), Girard College, the Naval Asylum, and the new Market House. And in his Panorama, Wild broke wholly new ground in American print.” (Snyder, p. 49) 

Wild and J.B. Chevalier first issued these 20 views in five monthly parts, from January-May, 1838, with the four panorama plates issued as a separate publication, in August. Shortly after, Wild moved to St. Louis, and Chevalier proceeded to publish the two works in a single collected edition. Toward the end of 1838, John T. Bowen acquired Wild and Chevalier's printing studio as well as the rights for the views, and then issued them in this second collected edition. It was Bowen's first publication in Philadelphia, where in short time he would go on to establish himself as “the preeminent Philadelphia lithographer and the most important mid 19th-century American publisher of publication plates” (Library Company of Philadelphia). His work for McKenney and Hall's groundbreaking History of the Indian Tribes of North America, would cement his reputation as one of 19th-century America's finest color lithographers.

As Snyder writes about this edition, “the text remained unchanged, and the edition retained the plates in black and white. At this time Bowen either did not see the possibilities of coloring the plates or did not wish to delay republication by doing so." (Snyder, p. 48) Later, in 1848, Bowen reissued this series (without the panorama plates) in full hand-colored. While we have been able to locate some copies prior to Bowen's 1848 edition with some plates in partial or full hand-coloring, copies completely hand-colored are very rare. This is perhaps the only extant example. 

Effingham Buckley Morris (1856-1937) was a member of one of Philadelphia’s oldest and most influential families, born in Philadelphia to Israel Wistar Morris and Annis Morris Buckley. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, he served as President of the Girard Trust, director of the Pennsylvania Railroad and Lehigh Valley Railroad, as well as director of the Union League and Pennsylvania Hospital. One of Philadelphia's most successful financiers of the period, he was chairman of the executive committee of the Cambria Steel Co., and director of the Philadelphia National Bank, Franklin National Bank, and the Commercial Trust Company. He also served as President of the Academy of Natural Sciences, from 1928 until his death.