Item 85a: Colored Lithograph titled, “Descent into the Valley of Wyoming,” William Henry Bartlett and George K. Richardson (removed to Print Box #5), 1838
Item — Box: 21, Folder: 85a
Dates
- Created: 1838
Creator
- Barlett, William Henry, 1809 - 1854 (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:
Colored Lithograph
Condition Note:
Good, slight discoloration.
Measurements:
10 9/16 in. x 8 in.
Title:
The Descent into the Valley of Wyoming
Description:
A colored lithograph depicting people descending a mountain to the Wyoming Valley, Pennsylvania. The Susquehanna River can be seen towards the background as well as a small settlement towards the foreground. According to Valley Views of Pennsylvania, by Gilbert S. McClintock, “The view is from Prospect Rock on the easterly side of the river.
This drawing by Bartlett was later lithographed by George Howard; published as a wood cut by Butler and Strupel engraved by A. L. Dick; and copied many times in many media.
It appears as a decoration on one of the pieces of a dessert service sent from France by the Marquis de Lafayette to Nickolas Biddle, after Lafayette had visited Andalusia, the Biddle home, on his last voyage to the United States. This service is now in the possession of Mrs. Henry C. Lewis, Philadelphia, Pa.” This print was also engraved by George K. Richardson and published by George Virtue.
William Henry Bartlett, born March 26, 1809 in Kentish Town, London, was best known for his many drawings rendered into steel engravings. He was an apprentice to John Britton (1771-1857) and became one of the most foremost illustrators of topography in his generation. Bartlett traveled often leading him throughout Britain, the Balkans and Middle East in the 1840s, and to North America between 1836 and 1852. Making several trips to the United States during this time, he gathered sketches of scenery. He began in New York and visited Niagara Falls, much of New England and the mid-Atlantic region. From here he produced well-known renditions of many points of interest. His works are popular with the public and described as “charming” and what it felt to experience these wonders in the 1830s.
Born in 1794, George C. Virtue was a 19th-century publisher based in London. His firm was located on 26 Ivy Lane, Paternoster Row, and here he selected many accomplished artists and engravers. He also “produced books that were rarely surpassed in elegance and correctness for the period.” He died December 8, 1868.
George James Howard, 9th Earl of Carlisle was born in London, England on August 12, 1843 and was an aristocrat, peer, politician, and painter. He studied art under Alphonse Legros and Giovanni Costa and belonged to the Etruscan School of painters. He was the last known Earl of Carlisle to own Castle Howard. He died on April 16, 1911.
Archibald L. Dick was an American engraver from Scotland, born in 1805. He died in New York in 1855. More of his works can be found on the Worcester Art Museum website.
Location:
Wyoming Valley, Pennsylvania
Transcription:
W.H. Barlett. G. K. Richardson
THE DESCENT INTO THE VALLEY OF WYOMING.
(Pennsylvania.)
London. Published for the Proprietors by Geo. Virtue. 26. Ivy Lane, 1838.
{3- B44}
Creator
- Barlett, William Henry, 1809 - 1854 (Person)
- Virtue, George, 1793 - 1868 (Person)
- Howard, George James, 1843 – 1911 (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