BENNETT, WILLIAM JAMES [ENGRAVER] | City of Washington From beyond the Navy Yard. New York: Lewis P. Clover, 1834

BENNETT, WILLIAM JAMES [ENGRAVER]

City of Washington From beyond the Navy Yard. New York: Lewis P. Clover, 1834

Hand-colored aquatint (sheet size: 21 1/4 x 26 3/4 in.), engraved by Bennett after G. Cooke.

A monumental view of Washington D.C.

William James Bennett was born in England, and received his training at the Royal Academy. He emigrated to the United States in 1826, and is best known for his views of American cities, including the Hudson Valley region, Niagara Falls, and numerous port cities such as New York, Charleston, and Buffalo. With the arrival of William Bennett and several other émigré artists such as William Guy Wall, and John Hill, the quality of aquatint engraving in America was elevated to a level equaling, or perhaps even surpassing, that of European printmakers. This print was published at the beginning of an important period in the history of American topographical-view making.