[United States Senate]: Rothermel, P.F.:

$3,000 · Offered by William Reese Company · No longer available

THE UNITED STATES SENATE, A.D. 1850. THIS ENGRAVING FROM THE ORIGINAL PICTURE IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED TO THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES BY THE ... A handsome engraving of an outstanding depiction of the United States Senate debating the Compromise of 1850, one of the most consequential debates and legislative acts of the antebellum period. This copy, designated as a "proof" in the lower left margin, has excellent tonality, with rich black and grey hues. Versions published by Butler and Long are known with copyright dates of 1854 and 1855 (as here). The print was engraved on steel by R. Whitechurch after the original painting by Peter F. Rothermel (1817-95), an artist known for portraits and historical scenes. This print was apparently issued in four versions: as an artist's proof (as here), on India paper, plain, and colored.This copy of the print is enhanced by the presence of a separate "key" to the illustration, published by William Smith of Philadelphia and copyrighted 1854. The key identifies the twenty-seven senators shown in the scene, as well as Vice President Millard Fillmore, presiding as president of the Senate. Also accompanying this copy of the engraving is a pamphlet promoting the print, published by Butler and Long in 1859. Apparently, the publishers still had copies of the print for sale five years after it was originally produced. This pamphlet contains a frontispiece similar to the William Smith key (but without Smith's imprint), and information on the ti

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