Hall, Charles Bryan

Fifty signed etching-engravings: “Old New York Views and Portraits.”

Fifty signed etching-engravings: “Old New York Views and Portraits.” [New York: H.B. Hall and Sons, ca. 1870.] 

Quarto (11 1/16” x 8 ½”, 280mm x 215mm): 2 binder’s blanks, 50 engravings (35 views, 15 portraits), 2 binder’s blanks. Printed on Japan paper, each plate (save one, pl. 21) titled and signed in pencil. 

Bound by Bradstreet’s (stamp on upper edge of the verso of the first free end-paper) in half green morocco over green cloth. On the spine, five raised bands. “OLD/ NEW/ YORK” gilt to the second panel, “HALL'S/ VIEWS/ AND/ PORTRAITS” gilt to the third panel. Marbled end-papers (watermarked “DANE'S ROYAL AMSTERDAM”). 

Spine sunned, with rubbing to the extremities and especially along the hinges. Boards starting at the upper edges. First free end-paper cracking at the spine-edge.  


Charles Bryan Hall (1840–1913) is famous as one son of H.B. Hall and Sons (22 Park Place), the firm established by Henry Bryan Hall (1808–1884) in 1850. Hall became one of the great New York engraving firms, most famous for the dissemination of portraits of Abraham Lincoln and other American Civil War heroes. These portraits were featured in publications such as Sketches of Men of Progress (James Parton et al.; New York and Hartford Publishing Company, 1870–1871). The only comparable record of plates such as these is a pair of auction results from 1914 (American Art Association, 1 April, lots 27 & 269), each 5 plates (all included here) on Japan paper, numbered “6 of 25 sets thus printed” although not bound. 

Many of the views derive from Valentine’s Manual, which ran from 1840–1870, although Hall’s are quite a bit finer. Some are signed within the plate as well; most with “Wn” in the lower-right, but a few with “Chas B. Hall N.Y.” (vel sim.). The portraits are reminiscent of those in the Sketches of Men of Progress but none appears there. In short, this collection of artist’s proofs stands in a long tradition of engraved illustration in America, but is something of anunicum. The closest comparanda are proof plates, signed as ours in pencil, of Abraham Lincoln, now at Brown University. 

 

1. The Stadt House 1642 

2. City Wall. 1653 

3. The Schoenige 1658 

4. New York in 1704 

5. New York in 1746 

6. N.Y. Lower Market 1746 

7. N.Y. 1746 Lower Dutch & French Churches 

8. Canal in Broad Street 

9. Block House and Gate. Foot of Wall St. 

10. Hell Gate 1775 East View 

11. City Hall Wall Street 

12. Washington Hall 

13. Murray St and Dr Masons Church 1822 

14. Second John St. Church 

15. Walter Franklin House. Washingtons first Residence 

16. Blue Bell Tavern 

17. The Shakespeare Tavern 

18. Burns Coffee House 

19. King’s Arms 

20. Broad and Exchange Place 

21. The Walton House (title in plate) 

22. Burnams Hotel 

23. Gov. Dongans Mansion 

24. Residence Marinus Willett 

25. Bayard Residence 

26. Rutgers Mansion 

27. Alex. Hamilton Grange 

28. Remsen House Long Island 

29. Old Stone House Turtle Bay 

30. Sugar House & British Prison 1776 

31. Old Trinity 1737 

32. Park Theatre 

33. Residence of Bishop Moore 

34. Van Cortlandt Manor 

35. Banckers(recte Bunker’s) Mansion House (39-41 Broadway) 

36. Jeremiah Van Rensellaer [sic] 

37. Col. Thos Dongan 

38. Gov. R. Bellemont 

39. Gov. Wm Burnet 

40. Richard Lovelace 

41. Gov. Andros 

42. Sir Charles Hardy 

43. Sir Peter Warren 

44. Earl of Dunmore 

45. Gen. Thos. Gage 

46. George Clinton 

47. Alexander McDougall 

48. J. Alexander 

49. Mrs J. Alexander 

50. David Hosack 

Item #6JLR0186

Price: $12,000