Name/Title
State House GardenEntry/Object ID
0000.2239Description
These colored engravings are a part of a collection of prints in a book created by English artist William Russel Birch and originally published in 1800. Birch came to America in 1794 and soon realized the potential of capturing the post colonial era of America. The images depict life post-revolution and the urban culture of the early Republic in Philadelphia. The images in the book became so popular that individual prints and additional editions of the book were produced.
Birch depicts well-known buildings including Independence Hall, the Bank of the United States, prominent churches, and the city markets. The “House intended for the President” at 9th and Chestnut Streets was left unoccupied when the capital was moved to Washington, D.C. It became instead the second campus of the University of Pennsylvania, beginning in 1801. Another print shows the Library Company of Philadelphia and “Surgeons’ Hall,” used for the school’s medical lectures that began in 1791. In Penn’s collection there are several early copies of Birch’s Views printsType of Print
EngravingMade/Created
Artist
William Russell BirchDate made
1800Dimensions
Dimension Description
FrameHeight
17-1/2 inWidth
21-1/2 inDimension Description
SizeHeight
13 inWidth
11 in