The City of New York, in the State of New York, North America [The Birch View with the Picnic Party]

Samuel Seymour|William Russell Birch|William Russell Birch|William H. Morgan

[1803] reissued ca. 1820 · Hand-colored engraving and etching; third state of three · Drawings and Prints

By 1803, New York had recovered from losses caused by the British occupation during the American Revolution. The Philadelphia-based artist Birch worked with the engraver Seymour to create two variations of the present image from a single plate. This second version replaced a grazing horse in the foreground with picnickers on Brooklyn Heights; the view of ships on the river and masts moored along the New York side remained the same. Spires and towers dotting the skyline represent different places of worship and suggest a population from diverse backgrounds. From left to right, these include Trinity Church, First Presbyterian Church, Middle Dutch Church, St. Paul’s Chapel, St. Peter’s Roman Catholic Church, North Dutch Church, Brick Church, and St. George’s—the first, fourth, and last serving Anglican congregations of British origin.

Artist

Samuel Seymour|William Russell Birch|William Russell Birch|William H. Morgan

Date

[1803] reissued ca. 1820

Medium

Hand-colored engraving and etching; third state of three

Department

Drawings and Prints

Credit line

Bequest of Margaret Crane Hurlburt, 1933