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WELLS, C. H. (Artist)/ COLLINS, F. (Printer)/ BYRAM, J. H. (Publisher) [Philadelphia: 1859] Mount Vernon. 18 ¼ x 19 ¾ inches. Color-printed lithograph. Lightly toned, darker on back, two mended marginal splits, overall very good.
An iconic print of Mount Vernon with particularly warm, rich coloring, which derives from the unusual use oil colors in the printing process. In the image, Washington’s home is bathed in lambent, late-day light and set within a sylvan landscape with the Potomac River in the background. Works such as this were part of an upwelling of patriotism in the mid-19th century marked by a reverence for and mythologizing of the Founding Fathers. A vignette of Washington’s tomb is below the larger view. This print was based on a work by Charles H. Wells (1832–1884), most often known simply by C.H. Wells, an American artist active in Philadelphia. The popularity of this print made it one of the artist’s best-known images.
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