Greetings. I have two Shakespeare-related queries for the List:
Who is currently credited with engraving the first portrait of
Shakespeare in America?
Is there a listing anywhere that shows the current value of a complete
set of the First American Edition of Shakespeare's Works?
Until yesterday, I was under the assumption that Robert Field engraved
the first portrait of Shakespeare in America. It is the frontispiece of
the first volume of the stated First American Edition of the Plays and
Poems of William Shakespeare, Philadelphia, 1795-6.
Indeed, John T. Winterich, in Early American Books & Printing,
Boston,1935 gives Robert Field the credit (p.159), as does Scott &
O'Shaughnessy, in their 1919 auction catalogue of the library of
Theodore De Vinne (p.51).
Yesterday, Sandy Malcolm, London bibliophile and friend, sent me a
reference that credits Field with engraving the second portrait of
Shakespeare in America, not the first. Sandy had just acquired a copy
of Alfred Westfall's book, American Shakespearean Criticism 1607-1825,,
New York,1939. In this book, Westfall reveals that the first American
portrait of Shakespeare appeared in the August, 1787 issue of the
Columbia(n) Magazine.
Westfall erroneously identified the title of the periodical as the
Columbia Magazine, instead of the Columbian Magazine. Researching
further this morning, I discovered the following listing in the 1946
Parke-Bernet Galleries auction catalogue of the Frank J. Hogan Library
(p.46):
FIRST ENGRAVED PORTRAIT OF SHAKESPEARE TO BE EXECUTED IN AMERICA
145. [SHAKESPEARE. WILLIAM.] Portrait of William Shakespeare from the
Columbian Magazine. Size 7 1/4 by 4 1/8 inches. Framed. Philadelphia,
[1787]
The following is quoted from Jackson's Encyclopedia of Philadelphia
article on Shakespeare in Philadelphia, Vol. IV.
"The Columbian Magazine, for March, 1787 carried the first notice of
Shakespeare's works. Under the date line of London was a long
description of the Boydell Edition, the design of which the article
states, was 'on foot' and was 'upon a scale never yet attended (sic) by
any publication.' The immediate reaction to this article was apparent
in the August number of the same magazine, where a full page
advertisement of Thomas Seddon, bookseller and stationer, was adorned
with the first portrait of Shakespeare to be published in this country.
It was copied from the monument in Westminster Abbey by Kent and
Scheemakers, and erected in 1740. It had long been believed that Robert
Field's portrait of the Bard was the first published in America."
Auction Catalogue Footnote: Seddon was one of the publishers of the
Columbian Magazine, and although the engraving is not signed it is
believed to have been the work of Trenchard, who also was one of the
publishers of the magazine.
..............................................................
Richardson's History of Early American Magazines, 1741-1789, New York,
1966, first published in 1931, provides a list of many of the engravings
which appeared in the Columbian Magazine (p.289-90). James Trenchard
contributed many of them, but his engraving of Shakespeare was not
included in the listing.
What do the current Shakespeare scholars have to say? Who gets the
credit for engraving the first portrait of Shakespeare in America?
Trenchard? Field? Should there be an asterik after Trenchard's name"
"Yes, Trenchard engraved the first portrait, but it was published in a
magazine and not in a book; moreover, it was an advertisement, not a
frontispiece or illustration."
After such a scholarly query, I should be ashamed to ask the List a
question concerning monetary value (I'm not, Dave :-)); but, for
insurance purposes, I do need assistance in finding a listing which
gives the current value of the First American edition of the Plays and
Poems of William Shakespeare, Philadelphia, 1795-6.
I have a complete and married set. The first seven volumes are in good
to very good condition, but the eighth volume is in only fair to good
condition. The first seven volumes bear the signature and stamped name
of Henry Zantzinger. The provenance of the eighth volume is
undetermined.
In his book, Alfred Westfall also provided some high expectations
concerning the value of this set (which encouraged Sandy Malcolm to
forward the information to me). Mind you, this was written in 1939, and
additional sets have since been located; however, to the best of my
knowledge, my set is one of the few sets still in private hands:
"....Many of our ancestors must have made their first acquaintance with
Shakespeare through this edition. Books which are little read are
supposed to get on the upper and back shelves in private libraries and
to survive, while those which are popular are often read out of
existence. Approximately two hundred fifty copies of the first Folio of
Shakespeare have survived. The first American edition was probably
larger than that of the 1623 folio, yet very few copies of it have
survived, although it is not half so old. Professor Steeves is certainly
wrong in stating that 'only twelve copies are known to exist, of which
four are imperfect.' There are many more than this number, a half dozen
in the Folger Shakespeare Library alone. Copies sell for around two
hundred fifty dollars, as high a price as can be obtained for any
Shakespeare edition after the four folios."
Thanks in advance,
Jerry Morris,
Book Collector,
Man of Letters (mailman)
Collector of Collected Letters
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