Item 44: Engraving and Historical Description titled “Mauch Chunk,” by George Lehman, 1833

Item — Box: 21, Folder: 44

Staff Only

Engraving and Historical Description titled “Mauch Chunk,” by George Lehman, 1833

Dates

Created: 1833

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

Additional Description

Type of Material:

Engraving and Historical Description

Condition Note:

Good, paper is discolored and has a few smudge marks.

Measurements:

5 ⅜ in. x 8 13/16 in.

Title:

Mauch Chunk

Description:

A brief print and historical sketch describing the town of Mauch Chunk. In pencil, date is written in the lower left corner. The transcript describes Mauch Chunk and where it is located. It’s further written that in 1818, Josiah White and Erskine Hazard commenced a coal operation on this land. This in turn created much commerce in the surrounding area. Referred to as the “Switzerland of America,” Mauch Chunk was known for its mountainous scenic views along the line of the Switchback Railroad and Lehigh Valley Railroad. It is still attracting tourists to see the beautiful, mountainous views. Now referred to as Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania since 1954, Mauch Chunk is located in Carbon County, Pennsylvania. It is known for the burial site of the Native American athlete, Jim Thorpe. It is settled in the Pocono Mountains about 29 miles northwest of Allentown. The next section labeled, “The Bible,” expresses how the existence of God is hardly supported by the nature that exists around it. It writes that nature is ever changing and that God presents us with a moral higher government. Overall, the writer suggests that many of the writings in the Bible may be unintelligible, but they should not be rejected. The last section describes Spanish women and the beauty of their hair. The writer tells of how these women wear their hair proudly, how they take care of it, and how they dress it. According to Valley Views of Northeastern Pennsylvania, by Gilbert S. McClintock, “Published by C. G. Childs and R. H. Hobson, Philadelphia. Executed by Lehman about 1829, in which year he made a series of views of Pennsylvania towns.” George Lehman, born in c. 1803 in Switzerland, was a lithographer, engraver, aquatintist, and “ornamental painter,” in Philadelphia around 1825-1870. After immigrating to the United States as a “printer,” he arrived at the port of New York on the ship named “Howard” on June 11, 1824. Lehman was also a skillful landscape painter, and exhibited views of not only Switzerland, but Pennsylvania at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts by 1825. He had also served as the assistant to John James Audubon when he visited Florida from 1831-1832. Lehman eventually partnered with Childs & Lehman from 1833-1834 and later with a French lithographer, P. S. Duval, where they operated Lehman & Duval from 7 Bank Alley from 1835-1837. Richard H. Hobson was born in England during the 1780s and during the antebellum-era, a Philadelphia fancy, stationary, and print store proprietor. Mentioned in the historical description, born in 1781, Josiah White was an important figure during the American Industrial Resolution. He was a Pennsylvania industrialist who began factory-centered mill production in Philadelphia in 1808. He worked alongside Erskine Hazard and decided to build a larger mill near their first mill near East Falls, Pennsylvania. They refined pig iron, produced cast iron artifacts, and rolled wrought bar iron goods such as nails and wire. The team helped the Industrial Revolution gain traction by accelerating building momentum for infrastructure. They sponsored the nation’s first long railway and after such a success, they continued to supply the country’s overall energy needs. White died in 1865. Also mentioned in the historical description, born in 1790, Erskine Hazard, was an industrialist who was partnered with Josiah White in developing infrastructure during the American Industrial Revolution. Their mills were located throughout Northeastern Pennsylvania and served as a foundation for the United States to become the world’s foremost economic power. “Contarini Fleming: A Psychological Romance is the fourth and most autobiographical novel written by Benjamin Disraeli, who would later become a Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. It was published anonymously in May 1832 but despite the author considering it his best novel, was a financial failure.” Born on September 8, 1793 in Plumstead Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, Cephas Grier Childs was one of the foremost engravers from Philadelphia. He managed early commercial lithograph firms and created many partnerships including: Pendleton, Kearny & Childs (1829-1830), Childs & Inman (1830-1833), and Childs & Lehman (1833-1835). With his skilled artists and lithographers like Albert Newsam, P. S. Duval and Henry Inman, Childs constructed a growth of popularity for the lithograph medium in Philadelphia.