Description:
Watercolor by Henry Goldthwaite Jenks (1776-1801) in green, blue, red and yellow, which is based from a 1770 engraving by Paul Revere (1735-1818) based on a 1768 painting by Christian Remick (1726-1783), both of which are titled "A View of Part of the Town of Boston in New England and Brittish Ships of War Landing their Troops! 1768." Christian Remick probably arrived in Boston from Spain in 1768, and placed a notice in the "Boston Gazette" in October 1769 that he worked in watercolors and could provide customers with a variety of subjects. He invited the public to view examples of his work, including "an accurate View of the Blockade of Boston, with the landing of the Britsh Troops on the first of October 1768," On April 16, 1770, Revere advertised an engraving with a similar description and by the same title; however, Revere did rework some of the design and added a gesture of disparagement towards the British authority in the engraving's cartouche. This watercolor cartouche is framed by a reclining indian and leaning palm tree in the lower right corner with: "A View of Part of the TOWN of BOSTON in NEW ENGLAND and Brittish Ships of War; Landing their Troops in the Bay 1768." There are three groups of inscriptions below the drawing. The botton left corner has a list of the names of the ships in the harbour: "1. Beaver/ 2. Senegal / 3, Marint/ 4. Glasgow / 5. Mermaid/ 6. Romney /. 7. Launceston / 8. Bonetta." The center bottom has a description of the scene: "On Friday Sept. 30, 1768. the Ship of War. arrived. Schooners, etc. Came up the Harbour and Anchored round the Town; at noon on Saturday October the 1st the four-teenth & twenty-ninth Regiments a detachment from the 59th Regt. and Train of Artillery, with 2 field pieces. Landed on the Long Wharf. there formed & marched with Drums beating, fifes playing, and colours flying up KING STREET to the Common, and there Encamped. Etc." The bottom right corner has a place list: "A. Long Wharf/ B. Hancock Wharf / C. North Battery" over "Henry G. Jenks, Sculp." The drawing is in an old frame with a gilt inner frame, which has a hand-written label on the back: "Water Color c. 1795 / From the Paul Revere Engraving / by Henry Jenks / 18th Century Frame / (Henry Goldthwaite Jenks) / b.1776 d.1801."
Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=HD+61.179 |
