One of the Most Beautiful Early 19th Century Views of NYC

"New York from Heights Near Brooklyn",

This delightful aquatint engraving by John Hill, after a painting by William Guy Wall, shows New York City from Brooklyn Heights across the East River, with the bucolic Brooklyn shoreline in the foreground. The buildings and skyline in the distance are depicted in great detail, nestled between expanses of water and sky. In Picturing America, Gloria Gilda Deak, one of the foremost historians of American prints, describes this print as one of "the most beautiful views we have of New York City in the early nineteenth century." The original watercolor is preserved in The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. This is the third state, with "J. Whatman 1828" watermark. Sheet size measures 26.5 x 19.2".

William Guy Wall was a watercolorist and painter, who received artistic training in his native Ireland before immigrating to New York in 1818. Wall spent the next 10 years in New York City, and became recognized for his views of the city and scenes along the Hudson River. A native of London, John Hill was an aquatint engraver of landscapes, and immigrated to the U.S. in 1816. Hill published views with Wall, J.M.W. Turner, and others and is known for the artistry and detail he brought to his work.

References: Deak #335.

Condition: B

Original color on watermarked paper with light soiling. There is a tear that enters 5" into image at top left, along with three 1/2" holes in the sky that have all been professionally repaired. There are a few tiny abrasions and a 1/2" crack in the water that has been closed on verso with archival material. Remargined at left with two small areas along the border that have been expertly replaced in facsimile. Nicely restored and visually attractive.