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1985-27, Print
A Design to represent the beginning and completion of an American Settlement or Farm
1985-27, Print

A Design to represent the beginning and completion of an American Settlement or Farm

Date1768
After work by
After work by 1722-1805
Engraver
Publisher ca. 1719 - 1771
OriginEngland, London
MediumLine engraving on laid paper with hand coloring
DimensionsOverall: 20 5/16 × 14 5/16 in (51.59 × 36.35cm)
Credit LineMuseum Purchase
Object number1985-27
DescriptionThe lower margin reads, "A Design to represent the beginning and completion of an American/ SETTLEMENT or FARM./ Desein qui represnte la maniere d'etablir et de parachever une Habitation/ ou FERME AMERICAINE./ Painted by Paul Sandby, from a Design made by his Excellency Governor Pownal. Engraved by James Peake./ London, Published according to Act of Parliament 20 May 1761, by Thos. Jefferys the Corner of St. Martins Lane."Label TextThis print depicts an imagined American landscape for London consumers, showing a plantation, lumber mill, and a log cabin. This view was included in "Scenographia America: or, A Collection of Views of North America and the West Indies... From Drawings Taken on Spot, by Several Officers of the British Army and Navy." The book contained 28 prints depicting North American landscapes. Unlike this print, which served as a visual cliche, the other prints in the collection illustrated actual landscapes, such as a Havana street scene and the Great Cohoes Falls on the Mohawk River. Instead, this print demonstrated how denizens back in London might have perceived American farming life.ProvenanceBefore 1985, found in collections; 1985-present, transferred to the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation (Williamsburg, VA)