Rare Jefferson Portrait Added to Inventory

Thomas Jefferson, Esq. President of the United States. After a painting by Rembrandt Peale. Engraved by Enoch G. Gridley, State St. Boston.  Undated, circa 1801. Stipple engraving. Image size 11 1/4 x 9 inches (28.5 x 22.9 cm) plus margins. LINK.

We recently added to the OPG inventory a rare, early American engraving of a key figure in our nation’s history, Thomas Jefferson. Thomas Jefferson (1743- 1826) was the Vice President under Madison and the third president of the U.S. ( from 1801–1809). Jefferson was one of the founding fathers of the Revolution. He was also the chief architect of the Declaration of Independence.

This particular print is extremely rare with only a few examples known.  The print is based on Rembrandt Peale’s portrait painted in 1800. It is a very close copy of a portrait that was engraved by David Edwin and published by John Savage in 1800 (while Jefferson was Vice President) and again in 1803 (while Jefferson was President) . Little is known about the engraver of this portrait, Enoch G. Gridley. Most references list him working in New York, then on to Philadelphia. This is the only known engraving by him that notes Boston as a location. This is also one of the larger plates that he produced. Most of the works that he produced were small, book plate sized.

REF: Stauffer – Fielding, American Engravers, supplement #531.

New Additions: Hancock and Hopkins Portraits

Today we are sharing two portraits, recently added to our collection. Published only a year apart, these mezzotint engravings of John Hancock and Commodore Esek Hopkins depict key figures in the Revolutionary War. Information for each print is listed below. For more portraits or Revolutionary War prints and maps, visit our website or stop by our Georgetown gallery. We hope you enjoy these striking pieces of Americana.

The Hon.ble John Hancock. of Boston in New-England; President of the American Congress. By Littleford. London, Published as the Act directs 25 Octo.r 1775 by C. Shepherd. Mezzotint engraving, 1775. Image size 12 1/2 x 9 7/8″ (318 x 251 mm). Overall is good condition, lower “C. Shepherd.” publication line trimmed off. LINK.

John Hancock became involved in the Revolution as a result of his disagreements with English custom officials regarding his mercantile business in Boston. At the time of the Stamp Act and the Boston Massacre, he was an outspoken leader among patriots and held elected offices in both the Massachusetts Provincial Congress and the Continental Congress. His militant beliefs, as well as his position as president of the Continental Congress, made him newsworthy in both England and the colonies.

Numerous portraits were published on both sides of the ocean depicting this important Revolutionary figure. In his anxiety to distribute the first print depicting Hancock, the London print-seller Charles Shepherd issued a porthole portrait (the above print) of the great patriot after a painting by Littleford. The image bears a passable resemblance to Copley’s portrait of Hancock, but it is unlikely that Shepherd ever saw the painting in person, therefore it is more reasonable to assume that it was based on a verbal description. Shepherd published another portrait of Hancock on the same day, which depicts him as a double-chinned gentleman holding a letter. This portraits bears even less resemblance to Copley’s portrait, therefore it is safe to conclude that Shepherd published both works without ever seeing a likeness of Hancock. This early print is one of the most important portraits of Hancock, and one of the rarest pieces of early Americana.

Commodore Hopkins, : Commander in Chief of the American Fleet. Publish’d as the Act directs 22, Augt. 1776, by Thos. Hart, London. Mezzotint, 1776. Image size 12 9/16 x 9 1/8″ (319 x 232 mm). German edition. Good condition. 1/4 to 3/4″ margins, which is unusual for mezzotints of this period. LINK.

An attractive portrait of Commodore Hopkins, with two Continental ships shown in the background. The first Navy Jack, a flag with a rattlesnake on it bearing the motto “Don’t Tread on Me” (or in the case of this print, “Don’t tread upon me”), is shown at left and may have flown aboard the Alfred, flagship of the newly commissioned Continental fleet. At right flies the Pine Tree Flag, here titled “Liberty Tree An Appeal to God”.

Esek Hopkins was born in Rhode Island on April 26, 1718. As a young man he began a career at sea, captaining merchant vessels and, during the French and Indian War, acting as a successful privateer. After the American Revolution broke out in 1775, Rhode Island appointed Hopkins as commander of its military forces. Later that year he became Commander in Chief of the very small Continental Navy. In mid-February 1776, Commodore Hopkins sailed from Philadelphia under orders from the Continental Congress to attack British maritime forces in Virginia. Facing a British fleet much larger in numbers and better outfitted, Hopkins instead elected to continue sailing south to Nassau and protect his fledgling Navy of just eight merchant ships. On March 3rd, he seized Fort Montagu and then advanced to the poorly-defended town, executing the first amphibious warfare operation. His fleet seized all gunpowder and munitions- supplies desperately needed by the Continental Army. On April 4, 1776, while returning home, his Continental ships encountered and captured two small British warships, but then failed to capture the HMS Glasgow two days later. Hopkins’ conduct of his operations produced considerable controversy and he was dismissed by Congress in 1778. He served in the Rhode Island legislature until his death in 1802.

Opening this Friday…

preview the exhibit

Albert W. Barker (1874-1947)

Clouds. Albert W. Barker. Charcoal drawing, 1920. Image size 9 7/8 x 13 15/16″ (252 x 355 mm). LINK.

Today we are exploring the work of artist Albert W. Barker (1874-1947). A resident of Rose Valley, Barker’s scenes depict the farmlands of southeastern Pennsylvania through loss of farmland, early industrialization, and the Great Depression.

Barker was born on June 1, 1874 in Chicago.  In 1890, Barker began classes at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, where he studied charcoal drawings, as well as met his future wife Bess Morot. From 1903 to 1913 he taught at the School of Industrial Art in Philadelphia, before returning to study at the University of Pennsylvania. A lover of the classics and archaeology, in 1921, Barker received his Ph. D in Greek archaeology.

Barker’s first attempt at printmaking was etching, but he was unsatisfied with both the manner of image creation and his results. In 1926, Barker began collecting nineteenth century French lithographs; an infatuation with the medium quickly prompted him to try his hand at creating his own lithographs.  He studied with Bolton Brown, the master lithographer of the day, learning the subtleties of drawing on limestone and printing his own editions. He advanced quickly, and was soon writing essays and articles on the lithographic technique. In 1930, he published “Lithography for Artists.”

Barker’s early charcoals and lithographs are predominantly landscapes, sometimes dotted with barns or early farm equipment. By the mid-1930s, his prints include portraits of the farmers and workers of the land he loved so much. Not limited by his stark black and white palate, Barker instead filled his prints with atmosphere. The clouds reach and fill the outer limits of the print’s image, and with subtle gradation, his grassy hills stretch out in an unyielding expanse. Printing in a sort of monochromatic realism, his farm scenes show the strenuous, yet quiet life of his neighboring farmers. Barker’s prints are a tribute to the beauty of the Pennsylvanian landscape and the family farm in a time when he saw both slipping away, threatened by industrialization and the financial choke hold of the Depression.

Click here to see all available lithographs and original charcoals by Barker, currently in our gallery inventory.

Landscape (untitled). Albert W. Barker. Charcoal drawing, 1905. Image size 13 7/8 x 9 1/2″ (353 x 243 mm). LINK.

Catskill Mountains, Nightfall. Albert W. Barker. Lithograph, c.1928. Image size 10 15/16 x 7 3/4″ (278 x 197 mm). Edition 51. LINK.

The Upper Meadow. Albert W. Barker. Lithograph, 1929. Image size 7 13/16 x 11″ (199 x 278 mm). Edition 76. LINK.

Young Maples. Albert W. Barker. Lithograph, c.1929. Image size 10 13/16 x 7 3/8″ (275 x 182 mm). Edition 50. LINK.

The Stone Crusher. Albert W. Barker. Lithograph, 1930. Image size 7 x 5″ (177 x 127 mm). Edition 50. LINK.

The Barn. Albert W. Barker. Lithograph, 1930. Image size 8 x 7 3/16″ (203 x 182 mm). Edition 35. LINK.

The Outlying Farm. Albert W. Barker. Lithograph, 1930. Image size 4 3/4 x 6 7/8″ (120 x 144 mm). Edition 100. LINK.

The Sheep-house. Albert W. Barker. Lithograph, 1931. Image size 9 13/16 x 6 9/16″ (250 x 167 mm). Edition 35. Inscribed in stone lower right indistinctly “A. W. B.” LINK.

Stony Pasture. Albert W. Barker. Lithograph, 1931. Image size 11 x 7 7/8″ (279 x 199 mm). Edition 35. LINK.

The Shop. Albert W. Barker. Lithograph, 1931. Image size 9 3/4 x 8 11/16″ (247 x 220 mm). Edition 30. LINK.

Churning. Albert W. Barker. Lithograph, 1932. Image size 13 7/16 x 10 7/16″ (341 x 265 mm). Edition 40. Inscribed in stone lower right “A.W.B. 1932.” LINK.

In the Day’s Work. Albert W. Barker. Lithograph, c.1934. Image size 8 1/8 x 6″ (206 x 152 mm). Edition 59. Printed on chine colle. LINK.

Stubble Fire. Albert W. Barker. Lithograph, 1935. Image size 8 9/16 x 11 1/16″ (217 x 293 mm). Edition 32. Printed on chine colle. LINK.

Tenant House. Albert W. Barker. Lithograph, 1937. Image size 4 5/16 x 6″ (110 x 152 mm). Edition 50. Printed on chine colle. LINK.

The Enchanted Meadow. Albert W. Barker. Lithograph, date unknown. Image size 6 3/4 x 9 13/16″ (172 x 250 mm). Edition 70. Some impressions printed in sepia ink. LINK.

Explaining Monoprints and Monotypes

As we prepare for the opening of our new gallery exhibit, Monotypes, we thought it useful to delve into the difference between a monotype and a monoprint for our blog readers and collectors. As their names imply, monotypes and monoprints are prints that have an edition of one. Often referred to interchangeably, these planographic techniques are actually quite different.

A monotype is made by drawing or painting a design in printing ink onto any smooth surface, then covering this matrix with paper and passing it through a press. The result, an exact reverse of the original drawing, is an original and unique monotype.

A monoprint is made by taking an already inked etched plate or carved woodblock and adding additional ink to the surface of the matrix. The matrix and paper are run through the press, creating a monoprint. This additional ink produces an impression different in appearance to a conventionally-printed impression from the same plate. Since it is virtually impossible to manipulate this extra ink twice the same way, every monoprint impression will be different.

To explain this further, take a look at the two portraits shown below. Elie Nadelman by Leonard Baskin is a monotype. The composition is created of solely ink manipulation on the plate- there are no etched or engraved lines delineating the profile. In contrast, the print Elizabethan by Irving Amen is a monoprint. Etched lines add contours to the face, eyes, and beard, while printing ink (applied not in the grooves of the etched plate lines but on the surface of the plate) adds color to areas like the cheeks, forehead, and background. If Irving Amen tried to create another impression of this print, he would not be able to mimic exactly the placement, intensity, or saturation of each color- which is what makes this print an monoprint and not a colored etching. There can only be one impression like this one.

Elie Nadelman. Leonard Baskin. Monotype, 1989. Image size 5 x 4 inches. Signed and titled in pencil, . LINK.

Elizabethan. Irving Amen. Monoprint, 1964. Image size 17 9/16 x 13 13/16 inches. Signed, titled and dated in pencil, inscribed “1/1” and “unique color.” LINK.