click here to zoom
Stamford, Conn. BURLEIGH, L. R./ BECK & PAULI LITH. [Troy, NY & Milwaukee, WI: 1883] Stamford, Conn. 19 x 34 inches. Lithograph. Reinforced with rice paper, lower margin extended but no loss of printed surface, closed 7-inch split at left center & marginal splits, a few filled wormholes in printed area, still overall very good condition. Arguably the most ambitious work by one of great masters of the bird’s-eye view genre. Burleigh’s “views document the appearance and pattern of small-town New York and New England with a clarity and thoroughness unsurpassed by any other viewmaker” (Reps, p. 169). We found no record of this work previously on market—at auction or in sales by dealers. OCLC cites just three institutions holding examples of it—the Library of Congress, Penn State and the Boston Public Library. This was one of Burleigh’s first published works—his first appearing the previous year—and it reveals him to have had fully evolved skills at the outset of his career. As Deak observed, “it is a more sophisticated rendering than the average aerial view, showing to advantage the handsome landmarks and estates of Stamford as well as the unusually attractive landscaping that characterizes the New England town.” Also, this view is larger than most of his other works; Burleigh perhaps chose the challenge of what was then a relatively large city to showcase his talents. Stamford, here seen from the east, is depicted as a city of robust prosperity with many substantial residences, several industrial sites, and active waterways. By 1880, its population had reached 11,000. In the view, the developing city is attractively set within rural surroundings and opens up to the Long Island Sound at upper left. The view reveals that industrialization in Stamford was well underway by the early 1880s, as several early industrial sites are depicted and identified in the view. “The most influential local business firm of the era, the Yale and Towne Manufacturing Company, employed nearly 1000 people by 1892, roughly six percent of the total population of Stamford” (see link below). The view illustrates this company’s substantial complex. Other prominent concerns shown are the Ingersoll Manufacturing Co., W. C. Harding & Co. woolen mill, and the Linerusta Walton Manufacturing Co. The Ingersoll Co., founded in Stamford in 1871, is today’s Ingersoll-Rand. Several other industrial concerns are listed in the tables below the view and keyed to it, along with the city’s other major structures. The industrialization process was abetted by influxes of immigrants—primarily from Ireland in mid-century and then from Germany in the 1890s. Although undoubtedly idealized to some extent, the view portrays a very pleasing city with ample parks and tree-lined residential areas. Railroad infrastructure, including bridges and interchanges, is nicely detailed, and two trains can be seen making their way through the city. Lucien Rinaldo Burleigh (1853-1923), born in Plainfield, Connecticut, was an exceptionally ambitious and prolific craftsman, who produced by Reps’ count 228 city views, either published independently or with others. Remarkably, this output occurred over a period of only about 12 years. Reps also describes him as perhaps “the best educated of American born viewmakers” (p. 167). His grandfather, a Yale graduate, was principal of the Plainfield Academy, where the younger Burleigh was educated. He received a Master’s Degree in civil engineering from what is today Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Burleigh’s work, as exemplified here, certainly bears an engineer’s precision. After graduation, Burleigh traveled to Milwaukee for employment with various printing firms—a most fortuitous move, as Milwaukee was then one of the country’s centers of lithographic printing. There Burleigh came in contact with several firms, including the prestigious Beck and Pauli concern, who provided the lithography for this view. Throughout his career, Burleigh partnered with several Milwaukee firms in various arrangements. However, in other instances, Burleigh handled all phases of production himself from drafting to publication. Despite Burleigh’s substantial output, his views are rare on the market—none more so than this one. A likely reason is that he concentrated on towns and smaller cities—nearly all in the New York State and New England--and given the small sizes of these markets, the print runs of his views were inevitably very small. Reps, J. W. View and Viewmakers of Urban America, no. 619, pp. 167-170; Deak, G. G. Picturing America, no. 870.
Sold