HARVEY, George (1801-1878)
Concord, New Hampshire from an original painting by G. Harvey, A.N.A
London: V. Bartholemew, 1853. Tinted lithograph with hand-colouring, printed by M. & N. Hanhart, after G. Harvey. Good condition apart from one expert repair to lower margin and one to lower right corner. Sheet size: 20 1/8 x 29 7/8 inches.
An "atmospheric view" of Concord, New Hampshire.
The state capitol of New Hampshire, Concord, located on the west bank of the Merrimac River, about seventy miles northwest of Boston, is depicted in this excellent lithograph by M. & N. Hanhart, one of the top printmakers of nineteenth century London. The print is based on a painting made in 1852 by the artist George Harvey. "The Merrimac dominates the foreground of this charming view, where one of the large log rafts making its way down river bears two female travelers and their dog. Beyond them, nearer the shore, a catboat is shared by three passengers. In the distance loom four cupolas. The first, beginning at the left, belongs to the Unitarian Church, erected in 1829 and destroyed by fire in in 1854, just a year before the lithograph was published. The next is part of the First Baptist Church, erected in 1824-1825 and later remodeled. Moving further to the right, the next cupola belongs to the South Congregational Church, erected in 1836-1837 and destroyed by fire in 1859. The large cupola at the right is atop the State House...Just below the houses grouped on the hill to the left, a train with three passenger cars chugs along..." (Deák). George Harvey (1800-1878), an artist of British birth who immigrated to the United States in 1828, often indicated after his name (as he does here) that he was an Associate of the National Academy of Design in New York. Harvey specialized in landscape painting and miniatures. While maintaining a presence in the London art world, Harvey established a home and studio near Hastings-on-Hudson, near New York City, where he conceived the idea of painting a series of "atmospheric views" of the northeast. "He is known for his particular attention to the shifting subtleties in color caused by outdoor atmospheric change" (Deák), much in evidence in this lithograph. A fine print of a quintessential American scene.
Deák, Picturing America 646; Fowble, Two centuries of prints in America, 1680-1880, p.87, no. 35; Reps, Views and Viewmakers 2206; Who Was Who in American Art (Madison, Ct.: Sound View Press, 1999) II, pp.1483-84.
Item #19276
Price: $6,000.00