Description:
Lithograph on paper of the "A View of Hadley" by Orra White Hitchcock (1796-1863) colored in greens, blues, yellows, and oranges, which came from the Phelps family of Hadley, Massachusetts. The print is inscribed in the lower left, "Mrs. Hitchcock del." and in the lower right, "Thayer's Lith. Boston." and in the upper right corner, "Pl. 5." The daughter of Jarib White and Ruth Sherman White, an affluent farmer in Amherst, Massachusetts, Orra White was educated in boarding schools in South Hadley and Roxbury, excelling in science, art, Latin and Greek. She was working as an assistant instructor at Deerfield Academy when she met her future husband Edward Hitchcock (1793-1864), who held the post of preceptor from 1816-1819, and married in 1821. Considered one of the earliest female artists and illustrators in America, Orra was an accomplished artist who prepared these prints which appeared in "Plates Illustrating the Geology and Scenery of Massachusetts" (two editions, 1833 and 1835) as a supplement for her husband's book, "Report on the Geology, Minerology, Botany and Zoology of Masachusetts" (Amhurst: J.S. and C. Adams, 1833), and in his "Final Report of the Geology of Massachusetts" (Amherst, 1841). This redrawn version of "View of Hadley," which was originally Plate III in the 1833 and 1835 editions, lithographed by Benjamin Thayer & Co. can be easily distinguished from those from the earlier publications. Edward Hitchcock, who had been raised in Deerfield and attended Deerfield Academy, moved his family to Amherst where he was appointed Professor of Chemistry and Natural History in 1826, a position he filed until 1845 when he was appointed President and Professor of Natural Theology and Geology. He served as President from 1845 until 1854. During that time, Hitchcock was responsible for Amherst's recovery from extreme financial depression. In 1854 Hitchcock retired from the presidency and became Professor of Natural History and Geology, a position which he held until his death in 1864. The print shows the Connectiuct River with a steam boat in the foreground and a small island in the middle, flanked by hills, fields and trees, and a group of houses in the background.
Label Text:
Orra White Hitchcock was an accomplished artist who prepared prints for many of her husband Edward’s scientific publications. “A View of Hadley,” based on her drawing, appeared in Plates Illustrating the Geology and Scenery of Massachusetts (1833), which supplemented Edward Hitchcock’s Report on the Geology of Massachusetts (1833). This lithograph has a history of ownership in the Phelps family of Hadley.
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