Item 50: Bookplate, Henry D. Gilpin, no date
Item — Box: 20, Folder: 50
Dates
- Created: no date
Creator
- Childs, Cepheas Grier, 1793-1871 (Person)
Disclaimer for Name and Subject Authorities
Some of the name and subject authority tags have been assigned by educated guessing and estimation of persons and subjects by region, age, profession, and familial relationships. They have been thoroughly researched by using primary and secondary sources available digitally, and named in each description, or in some cases linked directly to the person tag.
Access:
All series and subseries within this collection are open for research, with the exception of a few files within the Academia series that are restricted. The Academia series contains financial and sensitive institutional records from Wilkes College, and financial report records from Princeton University that will remain restricted for 80 years upon creation.
Extent
1 items
Language of Materials
From the Collection: English
Type of Material:
Bookplate
Condition Note:
Good, no issues.
Measurements:
3 ¼ in. x 5 3/16 in.
Title:
Henry D. Gilpin
Description:
A bookplate featuring a desecrated pillar with two men hunting a boar in the background. There is a castle and a tree behind the pillar. There is text around the boar which reads “dictis factisisque simplex” which translates to “simple in sayings and doings.” The bookplate creator, lithographer, and soldier Cephas Grier Childs was born on September 8, 1793 in Plumstead Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. He was married to Frances R. Strawbridge Childs. He was one of the first engravers in Philadelphia and was in charge of a few of the first lithograph firms in the area. He had partnerships with Pendelton, Kearny and Childs, Childs and Inman, and Childs and Lehman. He kept track of local talented lithographers and artists such as Albert Newsam, P.S Duval and Henry Inman. He helped make lithographing popular in Philadelphia. He started working in printing trades in 1812 after his parents died at a young age and served in the war of 1812. He became an apprentice to bank note engraver Gideon Fairman, who worked at the firm Murray, Draper, and Fairman & Co. The next year, he became a part of the Washington Guards which led him to be a part of volunteer military organizations over the course of his life. One of these organizations was the Washington Greys of Philadelphia, where he became the lieutenant colonel in December 1825. He started his own company in 1818, but still did commissions with Fairman. These included “The Head of Washington (1823), portraits of General Jackson and Lafayette (1824)” and various engraved book art. Over the course of three years, he worked on his biggest project yet, which was known as Views of Philadelphia. It was a six-section guidebook that consisted of 24 plates by artists and engravers from around Philadelphia. It was art of the landmarks around the city and it received recognition in the National Gazette. During 1829 and 1830, he started his career in lithography and joined the partnership of Pendelton, Kearny and Childs. He released lithographs that were delineated by Hugh Bridport, E.W. Clay, Albert Newsam and Moses Swett. In Spring 1831, Childs took a trip to Europe, but came back with lifelong injuries. He also came back with lithographer P.S. Duval to help him with his firm. In 1833, Childs and Inman split and Childs began to work with Lehman, a fellow lithographer and engraver who he had known since 1827. Childs and Lehman is known for creating lithographs of landmarks across Pennsylvania. These include Eastern Penitentiary, Fairmount Waterworks, Philadelphia Arcade, and Coal Mine at Mauch Chunk. In 1835, he retired because of his injuries and lack of business. Duval purchased Childs’ part of the company at the end of 1834 and it was renamed to Lehman and Duval. He started working in editing and publishing and released “The Current List and Price Current.” He stopped working in the Current in 1852 and became the leader of the New Creek Coal Company. He bought $20,000 worth of real estate while he was working at the company. Childs was also part of the Library Company of Philadelphia and a part of the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. The bookplate collector Henry D. Gilpin was born on April 14, 1801 in Lancaster, Lancashire, UK. His parents were Joshua Gilpin and Mary Dilworth. He got his degree from the University of Pennsylvania and became a part of the bar in 1822. He was the US Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania for six years. He was then the Solicitor of the United States Treasury and also became a part of the American Philosophical Society. For two years, he was a part of the board of the Bank of the United States. He believed President Andrew Jackson’s claim that the bank had too much power and managed to get it closed down in 1836. He was picked by Jackson to be the “territorial governor of Michigan” but Jackson’s rivals in congress prevented it from happening. He was picked to be the 14th Attorney General of the United States by President Martin Van Buren. He only held this position for a year, and in this time he represented the United States’ side in the Amistad case that was brought before the Supreme Court. For seven years, he was the leader of the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, and was the vice president and trustee of the Pennsylvania Historical Society and a member of the Massachusetts Historical Society. He was a leader of Girard College for two years and a trustee of the University of Pennsylvania. He also had a job as secretary of the Chesepeake and Delaware Canal. He died on January 29, 1860 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Creator
- Childs, Cepheas Grier, 1793-1871 (Person)
Repository Details
Part of the Wilkes University Archives Repository
Contact:
84 W South St.
Wilkes-Barre PA 18701 US
570-408-2000
570-408-7823 (Fax)
ask.archives@wilkes.edu
84 W South St.
Wilkes-Barre PA 18701 US
570-408-2000
570-408-7823 (Fax)
ask.archives@wilkes.edu