Description:
Harvard College -- "the earliest engraving of the College which one may reasonably hope to obtain"This engraving, entitled "View of the ancient Buildings belonging to Harvard College, Cambridge, New-England," appeared in the December, 1788 issue of The Columbian Magazine. Bail notes that the view is based on the Burgis-Price print of 1743, which in turn was a slight modification of the Burgis view of 1726. The view, taken from a point in front of the present Johnston Gate, shows three College buildings in 1726, from left to right: the second Harvard College, the first Stoughton Hall and the still-standing Massachusetts Hall. Although unsigned, the engraving is undoubtedly the work of James Trenchard, a co-owner of The Columbian Magazine and the engraver of nearly all the plates which appeared in it. Of the
Columbian Magazine view, Bail states: "In spite of the fact that the print is solely an adaptation, it is important because of its early appearance and relative scarcity. This is the earliest… Read More