WALKE, Henry (1808-1896)

[Four plates from 'The Naval Portfolio']

1. The U.S. Steam Frigate Mississippi, Comre. M.C. Perry [Naval Portfolio, No. 1]. New York: Sarony & Major, 1848. Tinted lithograph, captioned: "Going out to the relief of the American Steamer Hunter & French Bark [her prize] and an American Pilot Boat wrecked on Green Island reef near Vera Cruize March 21st. 1847". Sheet size: 20 5/8 x 26 3/4 inches. 2. The U. States Steamers Scorpion, Spitfire and Scourge with 40 Barges in Tow, crossing the Bar at the Mouth of Tobasco River (Mexico) [Naval Portfolio, No. 3]. New York: Sarony & Major, 1848. Tinted lithograph, captioned: "Comore. M.C. Perry in Command. Supported by the Commands, of Captains J. Mayo, S.L.Breeze, F. Forrest. Commanders Wm. J. Mc Cluney, A. Bigelow, F. Buchanan, H.A. Adams, A.S. Mackenzie, G.A. Magruder, G.J. Van Brunt. Lieuts. Commanding S.S. Lee, S. Lockwood and J.M. Berrien. June. 14th. 1847". Sheet size: 20 7/8 x 26 3/4 inches. 3. The Attack of the Mexicans from the Chapperal, on the first Division of the Naval Expedition to Tabasco (Mexico) [Naval Portfolio, No. 4]. New York: Sarony & Major, 1848. Tinted lithograph, captioned: "Consisting of the U.S. Steamer Scorpion Comore. Perry. Capt. Breese and Comaer. Bigelo Bomb Brig Vesuvius. Comaer. Magruder. Brig Washington, Lieut. Comaer. S.S. Lee. With a Detachment of Seamen and Marines in Barges from the Steam Frigate Mississippi; Under, Comaer. Mackenzie and H.A. Adams, Marines Comanded by Capt. Edson". Sheet size: 20 7/8 x 25 1/2 inches. 4. The Capture of the City of Tabasco, by the U.S. Naval Expedition, Afloat and on Shore, Under Comore. M.C. Perry [Naval Portfolio, No. 7]. New York: Sarony & Major, 1848. Tinted lithograph, captioned: "and the destruction of Fort, Mounting three long 26 pounders,' with other heavy guns, by the U.S. Steamers Scorpion, Comer. Bigelow. Steamer Spitfire, Lieut Coming. S.S. Lee, and Schooner Bonita, Liut. Coming. Berrian. June 15th. 1847". Sheet size: 20 7/8 x 27 inches. A remarkable collection bringing together four plates from Walke's incredibly rare Naval Portfolio, the finest graphic record of the U.S. Navy's role in the Mexican War. Born in Princess Anne County, Virginia, Walke entered the U.S. Navy in 1827 and was promoted lieutenant in 1839. During the Mexican War he served as executive officer of the bomb brig Vesuvius in Commodore Matthew C. Perry's Gulf Squadron, taking part in the bombardment and capture of Vera Cruz and in the river expeditions along the coast of Veracruz and Yucatán, including the 1847 Tabasco campaign. He would later distinguish himself again in the Civil War and publish his memoir Naval Scenes and Reminiscences of the Civil War (1877). A skilled, self-taught artist, Walke produced numerous drawings and watercolours throughout his career, working directly on the spot. From these he developed The Naval Portfolio, a series of Mexican War lithographs drawn on stone in part by Walke himself and printed by Sarony & Major in New York. Plate No. 1 shows the flagship of the American Gulf Squadron, the Frigate Mississippi, under full steam in stormy weather, going to the aid of a French vessel wrecked on a reef near Vera Cruz on March 21, 1847. The Mississippi is towing from her stern a ship's cutter loaded with figures potentially rescued from the wrecks visible in the background while a hilly coastline, a town, and the masts of several ships can be seen in the far distance. Plates Nos. 3, 4, and 7 are three of the five prints in the Portfolio devoted to Perry's Tabasco River expedition, the high point of Walke's wartime service. These images appear to be the only surviving contemporary visual record of the expedition. The action drew relatively little public attention when set beside the better known operations in central Mexico, which may help to explain the Naval Portfolio's limited contemporary circulation and its consequent rarity. Perry's Tabasco venture appears to have been prompted as much by a wish to win credit for the Navy, at a moment when there was otherwise little scope for independent distinction, as by any clear strategic necessity. Launched in June 1847, it aimed to secure control of Tabasco for the United States. Historians of both the war and American graphic arts have consistently ranked Walke's Naval Portfolio plates among the very best visual records of the conflict, fully comparable in quality to Carl Nebel's celebrated Army views. The Tabasco River plates in particular constitute the only substantial contemporary pictorial documentation of Perry's expedition and are a primary source for its Naval history.

Huseman, Sandweiss & Stewart, Eyewitness to War, 112, 119, 120, 123; Library of Congress, An Album of American Battle Art, pp.137-39; cf. G.A.Miles & W.S.Reese, America Pictured to the Life 47.

Item #42611

Price: $24,000.00