Name/Title
SING SING PRISON AND THE TAPPAN SEAEntry/Object ID
L.2007.38Description
Publisher George Virtue also included William Bartlett’s Sing Sing Prison among the engravings in American Scenery. Of the 119 annotated engravings produced for the publication, forty-five feature images related to the Hudson River Valley. Like the Stony Point lighthouse, another of Bartlett’s subjects, the prison at Sing Sing was a relatively recent landmark along the Hudson at the time of the artist's tour of America. Built in 1825, the prison housed incarcerated men from across New York State. Its isolated location along the river was intentional, its distance from cosmopolitan areas and watery boundary were considered deterrents to escape attempts. Bartlett's view of the prison, with the "Tappan Sea" in the distance and well-dressed observers sketching and on horseback in the foreground, lends a romantic air to the harshest of landmarks along the Hudson.
Colored steel cut engraving of a large building on the edge of the Hudson River: in the foreground, a sloping grassy field interrupted by some rocks and shrubs; two trees grow on the left edge; a man holding a book sits on rocks at the foot of the trees and a woman with a parasol stands beneath him; below them, two men on horseback and a few figures walking along a road; in the distance, the taller buildings of the village show above the hill; by the river are the uniform buildings of the prison and the watchtowers; just beyond the prison, boats with their sails lowered; behind the prison, the wide expanse of the Hudson with boats and the cliffs of the opposite bank; below the scene, on far left corner, printed: "T. Creswick."; in center, printed: "after a sketch by W. H. Bartlett."; on far right corner, printed: "H. Adlard."; below, in center, the title, printed: "SING SING PRISON AND THE TAPPAN SEA."; on bottom left the title translated to French, printed: "PRISON DE SING SING, ET MER DE TAPPAN."; on bottom right the title translated to German, printed: "DAS GEFÄNGNISS SING SING UND DAS TAPANISCHE MER."; on bottom center, printed: "London, Published for the Proprietors, by Geo: Virtue, 26, Ivy Lane, 1839."Artwork Details
Medium
Paper (wove), Ink, Watercolor, Paper (wove), ink, watercolorMade/Created
Artist Information
Artist
William Henry BartlettAttribution
ArtistArtist
Thomas CreswickAttribution
ArtistArtist
Henry AdlardAttribution
EngraverManufacturer
George VirtueDate made
1839Dimensions
Dimension Description
OverallHeight
8-1/4 inWidth
10-3/4 inDimension Notes
Display Dimensions: 8 1/4 x 10 3/4 in. (21 x 27.3 cm)Condition
Notes
Remarks: Discoloration in a square surrounding the image; soil and traces of watercolor throughout; slight abrasion, top center; pencil mark bottom right; bottom left corner dog-eared; recto has abrasion and liquid stain along right edge; slight soil throughout.Relationships
Related Person or Organization
Person or Organization
William DieboldNotes
Former ownerGeneral Notes
Note Type
Curatorial RemarksNote
Diebold Box #7Note Type
General NoteNote
Sing Sing Prison and the Tappan Sea is plate number 91 in American Scenery: Or, Land, Lake and River Illustrations of Transatlantic Nature. Publisher George Virtue commissioned William H. Bartlett to illustrate American Scenery, for which N.P. Willis wrote the text. Bartlett completed these watercolor drawings during two visits to America between 1836 and 1838. The drawings were engraved starting in 1837 by numerous English engravers and published in installments of four engravings. Subscribers could have the prints bound in two volumes in 1840 when the installments were complete.Note Type
StorageNoteNote
Home Location: Historic Hudson Valley, Administrative Office, Archive Room, Shelf O3, B5Note Type
DepartmentNote
Library