Rare, Early Color Plates of the Mississippi River

"[Lot of 14 - Prints of the Mississippi River]", Lewis, Henry

This lot of very rare tinted lithographs include 14 of 78 Mississippi River scenes Lewis drew in 1846 and 1847 while traveling the river from the Falls of St. Anthony to New Orleans. Initially, the sketches were worked up into a 1300-foot long panorama that he toured through the leading cities in the United State and Europe. He later settled in Dusseldorf to continue his art studies and published the lithographs in 20 parts between 1854 and 1857. An English-edition of the work was also planned, as illustrated by the inclusion of both German and English titles on the plates, but was never published. Included are:

A. Fort Armstrong on Rock Island. / Fort Armstrong auf der Felseninsel.
B. The Mouth of the River St. Croix.
C. The Rapids. / Die Stromschnellen.
D. View on Fever River. / Ansicht auf dem Fieberflusse.
E. The Jndians Look-Out. / Des Jndianers Wachthaus.
F. Tete de Mort River. / Der Tete de Mort Fluss.
G. Rothe Felsen Prairie.
H. Ballustrade Bluffs with the Grand Staircase / Die Ballustraden-Felsen mit der Grossen Treppe.
I. Red Wing's Village.
J. Jndians Spearing Fish. / Jndianer Beim Fischspiessen.
K. The Falls of St. Anthony.
L. Lake Pepin.
M. Hunting the Deer by Moonlight. / Hirschjagd bei Mondschein.
N. Prairie on Fire. / Prairie im Brand.

References: Deak #552; Reps, p. 190; Sabin #40807.

Condition: B+

The plates range in condition from very good to near fine, with occasional toning and light scattered foxing.