Apr 15, 2021 - Sale 2564

Sale 2564 - Lot 5

Price Realized: $ 4,500
?Final Price Realized includes Buyer’s Premium added to Hammer Price
Estimate: $ 700 - $ 1,000
(COLONIAL ERA.) [After George Heap.] The East Prospect of the City of Philadelphia in the Province of Pennsylvania. Hand-colored engraving, 7 1/2 x 21 inches; vertical folds as issued, light toning, repaired diagonal tear, laid down on modern board. [London, October 1761]

Additional Details

This view had a long history. The proprietor of Pennsylvania, Thomas Penn, wanted an engraved view of his bustling young city. Several artists tried and failed to capture the scene from across the river before mapmaker George Heap completed his 7-foot drawing in 1752. The resulting engraving was majestically detailed but too large to be conveniently displayed. A 3-foot version was engraved in 1756, followed by this unofficial adaptation of the second version which was issued as a plate in the London Magazine in October 1761. It features insets of the State House and battery. Snyder, City of Independence, 25 and pages 42-47, 57-58.