DAVIES, Thomas (c. 1737-1812); engraved by MAZELL (active 1761-1797)

A North West View of the Cohoes, or Great Cataract of the Mohawk River, in the Province of New York in North America

London: circa 1768. Copper engraving. Printed on laid paper. In excellent condition. Sheet size: 17 3/8 x 23 inches.

A rare early view of the Cohoes Falls on the Mohawk River in New York, by Thomas Davies one of the first surveyors to draw North America and Canada.

Thomas Davies was born in England, but he spent the majority of his life in service in America and Canada. His distinguished career saw him through two wars and many uncharted lands, and his topographical drawings of Northern America and Canada remain some of the most important visual records of these territories. In 1755 he entered the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich as a gentleman cadet in the artillery. At this time topographical drawing was part of every officer's training, and under the tutelage of Gamaliel Massiot, Davies learnt to master the art. Davies differed from many of his contemporaries in that; drawing became for him not merely a necessary military skill, but an art to be pursued. During his military career Davies made hundreds of topographical sketches that are not only a record of an uncharted land, but true works of art. He first came to the Americas during the French and Indian wars under General Amherst's command. He participated in the assault on Louisbourg, the expedition against Ticonderoga, and the capture of Montreal. During the Revolutionary War, Davies was stationed in New York and participated in many of the skirmishes in the surrounding areas. Throughout his dedicated career Davies could always be seen with a pencil in his hand, on every expedition he explored the surrounding territories and recorded their mysteries in simple yet compelling drawings. This early print, published in 1768, after Davies' drawing is an important piece of American and Canadian history and it allows us a glimpse at a forgotten land long changed by the passage of time.

Spendlove, The Face of Early Canada; Hubbard, Thomas Davies in early Canada; Reid, A Concise History of Canadian Painting p.27; Jefferys, Sigmund Samuel Collection 376; Harper, Early Painters and Engravers in Canada p.84.

Item #39339

Price: $3,500.00