SHORT, Richard

To the Right Honourable George Dunk, Earl of Halifax, His Majesty's Principal Secretary of State &c. &c. &c. This Plate representing Part of the Town & Harbour of Halifax in Nova Scotia, Looking down George Street to the opposite Shore called Dartmouth. Is most humbly Inscribed, by ... R. Short.

London: published by R. Short, 1761. Engraving, after Dominique Serres painting of Richard Short's drawing, engraved by James Mason. Captioned in English and French, with the arms of the Earl of Halifax. Four numbered references. Sheet size: 15 3/4 x 21 3/8 inches. Plate mark: 14 1/2 x 20 1/2 inches.

An important and very rare print from a "fine set ... most important historically" (Spendlove).

Richard Short was purser onboard H.M.S. Prince of Orange, and served at the siege of Quebec in 1759. Clearly, he was allowed a certain amount of lee-way, for in addition to his commissioned drawings of Quebec, he also had time enough to produce a series of views of Halifax, the main anchorage for the British fleet. Short's Halifax drawings were evidently worked up into paintings by Dominique Serres, Marine Painter to George III and an artist of considerable reputation and ability, and then engraved by a number of well-known and highly talented London engravers and the resulting six plates originally published by Short himself in 1761. Spendlove writes of the series: "the composition and design of the pictures is pleasing, perspective is good, and buildings are extremely well handled. Human figures are done convincingly and show action ... they constitute a fine set of prints [and are] ... most important historically." The present engraving is from the first issue by Short; the series was re-struck from the plates by Boydell in 1777.

Spendlove, The Face of Early Canada (1958) pp. 11-12.

Item #37144

Price: $8,500.00