Castle of San Juan d'Ulloa, at Vera Cruz.

£2,000 · Offered by Maggs Bros Ltd

A rare and imposing image of the Castle of San Juan d’Ulloa, a Mexican military fort which was occupied by American forces on 29 March, 1847, at the conclusion of the Battle of Veracruz. This print has the fort set against a backdrop of barren hills, surrounded by choppy seas and a handful of sailing ships. The capture of the fort was largely a diversionary tactic to occupy Mexican troops and allow american forces already ashore to march on to Veracruz. “The keen interest evoked by dramatically unfolding events in the Mexican-American war led to an outpouring of images and imprints, attempting to sate the public’s deep need to know. … News of the conflict created great excitement, and publishers, printers, and mapmakers were quick to supply images and imprints to document a truly international event with resounding consequences“ (Sloan). Nancy Finlay writes of the brief partnership between the publishers Kelloggs and Dwight Thayer: “this was an extremely productive period for the firm; more Kellogg prints survive from 1846-1847 than from any other comparable period of the firm?s existence. The Mexican War may have been a factor in increased competition between lithographers during the mid-1840s, in the Kelloggs’ decision to open an office in New York, and in their remarkable productivity during this period. A series of highly original and extremely interesting prints of the Mexican War bear the imprints both of Kelloggs Thayer and E.B. E.C. Kellogg, and, in some cases of Dwig

• Binding: Hardcover

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