Apr 15, 2021 - Sale 2564

Sale 2564 - Lot 22

Price Realized: $ 32,500
?Final Price Realized includes Buyer’s Premium added to Hammer Price
Estimate: $ 40,000 - $ 60,000
(REVOLUTION.) Bernard Romans, artist. An Exact View of the Late Battle at Charlestown, June 17th, 1775. Engraving, 14 x 20 inches; pinholes in corners, mount remnants on verso, early manuscript "29" in corner; a clean and strong impression. London: Wallis & Stonehouse, 4 June 1776

Additional Details

Bernard Romans (circa 1720-1784) was present at the Battle of Bunker Hill as an artillery captain, applying his expertise as a mapmaker and engineer to the task of recording the scene for posterity. He also engraved the original version of this print, which was announced in Philadelphia in September 1775 along with a smaller "Correct View" engraved by Aitken for the Pennsylvania Magazine. The present edition, a close copy of the Romans original, was engraved in London 9 months later. The key indicates the city of Boston, the burning buildings of Charlestown, General Putnam rallying the rebel troops on horseback atop Breed's Hill, and the British regulars retreating amid heavy losses.

"Romans undoubtedly designed this striking scene from his eyewitness view of the Battle of Breed's Hill"--Shadwell 55. Fowble 108 ("technically an improvement upon the original engraving"); Stauffer 2732 (calls this version "very much better engraved"). Provenance: Shreve, Crump & Low in Boston.

One of the original Philadelphia edition and none of this London edition in OCLC, although Colonial Williamsburg holds an example. One other example of either large-format edition traced at auction since 1973, a hand-colored example which brought €120,000 in 2005.