American Book-Plates

In 1810 he removed to Philadelphia, as that city was far ahead of New York in the publishing of books, etc. He was in that city for over twenty years. His greatest work is the engraving of Leonardo da Vinci’s picture of the “Last Supper.”

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Peter Rushton Maverick was born in England, April 11, 1755, and came to America about 1774. He was originally a silversmith, and came of a family whose members were for several generations well known as engravers, and who made the art their occupation. He was an energetic worker, getting most of his practical knowledge by his own endeavors. He was the teacher of William Dunlap and of Francis Kearney, as well as of his own son, who ultimately became a more proficient engraver than his father, and, who after instructing A. B. Durand for five years, took him into partnership.

Peter R. Maverick died in New York, about 1807, and his son Peter whose partnership with Durand resulted disastrously, died in 1831.

As a designer and engraver of book-plates, Maverick was the most prolific of all the early engravers. It is presumed that all the plates signed either P. R. Maverick, or simply Maverick, were by the same hand, as a large collection of

Weigh well each thought, each sentence freely scan,
In Reason’s balance try the works of man:
Be bias’d not by those who praise or blame.
Nor, Servile, Yield opinion to a Name.

proofs from his plates which furnishes examples of both ways of signing is now in the possession of the New York Historical Society, and the librarian informs me that all of the plates in that collection were done in 1789 by the elder Maverick. This collection consists of sixty-five plates, of which thirty-eight different ones are signed by Maverick. There are also others which are undoubtedly his work, although not signed, and there are examples by Dawkins, Hutt, and Child. Quite a number of the plates are duplicated, too. This very interesting collection of proofs, kept by Maverick himself, and sewed together roughly, was in the library of his friend, John Allan. By far the greater part of Maverick’s plates are of the Ribbon and Wreath style, but he made a few Jacobeans, a few Chippendales, and one or two pictorial and allegorical designs. He used the same features over and over in his plates, and seems to have been a rapid worker. The plates in the following list marked * are by the younger Maverick.

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Oliver Pelton, who engraved a plate for the Brothers in Unity, at Yale College, was born in Portland, Conn., in 1799, and learned his trade with Abner Read, a bank-note engraver, of Hartford. He was an assiduous worker, and was taken into partnership after two years’ work, with Mr. Read and one Samuel Stiles. Samuel G. Goodrich (Peter Parley) soon induced him to go to Boston with him, to engage in the engraving of plates for his works. This enterprise was successful, and in 1863 Pelton formed a partnership with William D. Terry, which was the foundation of the New England Bank-Note Company of Boston. The plate mentioned is the only example of his work on book-plates.

R. Rawdon, who signs the plate of William L. Stone, which is a very handsome steel-plate design, was born in Tolland, Conn., and was associated with his brother in Albany. The brother subsequently moved to New York.

Paul Revere, the Revolutionary patriot whose “midnight ride” is known the world over, was born in Boston, January 1, 1735, and died there on the 10th of May, 1818, after a life of great usefulness, leaving a name never to be forgotten.

He came of a Huguenot family, who spelled the name Rivoire originally.

He was self-instructed in the art of engraving on copper, although brought up by his father to the business of a goldsmith. He went on the Crown Point expedition, 1756, and after his return, married, and settled down to the business he had already learned. He was naturally fond of mechanics, and made himself master of its general principles. One of his earliest attempts on copper was the portrait of his friend, Dr. Mayhew. He also engraved several caricatures which were popular, and some historical pictures which are valuable now to the collector.

Not many book-plates have come down to us by this celebrated patriot, and the following list comprises all that are signed.

Revere’s plates do not have the compact appearance of Hurd’s, and are not so well designed or so well engraved as the latter’s. Presumably this branch of work was not very profitable to him, or very much cultivated.

The accompanying design was undoubtedly a book-plate, and beyond question is the work of Revere. It is a very rare plate.

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William Rollinson was born in England, in the year 1760. He was in youth brought up to the trade of ornamenting buttons; and, upon coming to New York, made the gilt buttons which decorated the coat worn by Washington at his inauguration as President. He did this without remuneration, so thoroughly sympathizing with the country of his adoption as to feel the honor of this service for Washington a full compensation. He was, through the friendship of Messrs. Elias Hicks and John C. Ludlow, recommended to the publishers of Brown’s Family Bible, for which he made several plates. Previous to this, he found work in the shops of different silversmiths, and had taught himself the art of engraving on copper. At the beginning of the century, Archibald Robertson painted a portrait of Alexander Hamilton, which Rollinson boldly undertook to make a large engraving from. He did not understand all the processes of engraving, and invented such as he was compelled to use, as he went on. The duel in which Hamilton lost his life occurred before the portrait was fully engraved. Indeed, it had been undertaken more as an experiment than with the idea of sale; but the friends of the dead statesman urged him to complete it, which he did, and the print found a good sale. Later, Rollinson invented a machine for ruling waved lines, which was of vast importance in the manufacture of bank-notes.

As an engraver of book-plates, he adopted the Ribbon and Wreath style naturally, as it was the style in vogue when he took up the work. He made one or two plain armorials, and for the New York College of Pharmacy one of more ambitious design. His plates, all neat in design, are clear, skilful engraving. His work and that of Callender, in the same style, resemble each other.

The following plates are signed by Rollinson: —

—

J. Smithers, an Englishman, originally a gun-engraver employed in the Tower of London, came to Philadelphia in the year 1773.

He had a good name as a man and as an engraver, and made the blocks for the Continental money. A large plan of the city of Philadelphia on three plates, which was his work, was subsequently purchased, when copper was scarce, for thirty dollars, and cut up into smaller pieces. Among his pupils was Trenchard, of whose work we have a few examples.

The following plates are signed by Smithers: —

He sometimes signed with the final s, and sometimes without it. His book-plates are not especially brilliant in any way, but are good, and in the pure style. His finest attempt is the landscape plate for Dr. McMurtrie of Philadelphia.

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T. Sparrow was an obscure engraver on wood, who worked at his trade in Annapolis from 1765 to about 1780, and who did considerable work for “Ann Catherine Green & Son, Printers,” of that town, on title-pages, tail-pieces, etc. He engraved on copper the title-page for the “Deputy Commissary’s Guide of Maryland,” published by the above firm in 1774, and which is a creditable piece of work. All the book-plates known at present are on wood, and they are but two in number: the Richard Sprigg and the Gabriel Duvall, both of whom were men of prominence in the colonial times, in Maryland.

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William D. Terry, who was mentioned as the founder, with Pelton, of the Bank-Note Company, in Boston, engraved a plate for the Redwood Library, of Newport. This is a large representation of the library, and is a fine piece of work.

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James Thackara was a partner of John Vallance, in the engraving business, and they were together for a good many years. Thackara was inferior to his partner as an engraver, according to Dunlap, and was for a long time the keeper of the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts.

We know but one example of his book-plate work, and that is the Lenthall plate, which is a large and very interesting example of the Ribbon and Wreath style. It is an excellent piece of engraving, full of style, and graceful in design.

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James Trenchard was born in Cumberland County, New Jersey, about 1746. He was a pupil of Smithers, and engraved in Philadelphia,

about 1785. Among his pupils were Thackara, Vallance, and his nephew, Edward Trenchard, who became an officer in the United States Navy, and served in the War of 1812.

Trenchard was one of the owners of the “Columbian Magazine,” published in Philadelphia from 1786 to 1792, and he engraved many plates for its pages.

One signed book-plate of his is known, – the Bloomfield. This is a Chippendale plate of no striking features. The Luther Martin plate is so similar to this as to leave hardly any doubt that it too was by Trenchard.

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James Turner is another of the early American artists of whom very little is known now. He was at one time in Boston, but later removed to Philadelphia. He did some portrait and some music work. Of his book-plate work we have but three signed specimens. By far the most interesting and valuable of these is the extremely rare plate of John Franklin of Boston in New England. This is very fully described in the List of Early American Book-plates. The other plates are the Sir John St. Clair, and the plate for Isaac Norris, of the family of the Quaker Chief Justice of Pennsylvania.

The plate of James Hall, although not signed, is also attributed to him.

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John Vallance, whose name is connected with that of Thackara, engraved with him many plates for Dobson’s Encyclopædia. He made heads of Franklin and Howard, which were pronounced successful, and he had a high reputation as an engraver.

One authenticated example of his book-plate work is known, the Joseph Wiseman, in the Ribbon and Wreath style; and the David Brearly, although not signed, is attributed to him.

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Of the other engravers whose names appear on but one or two plates, no information has been obtained. There were probably many who had but a local fame, and who made but a few plates. Their names are remembered now in a way not expected at the time of signing them, undoubtedly.

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In a recent article on Count Rumford, in the “New England Magazine,” it is said that, when a youth, he designed book-plates. No authentic examples of his work are known, and no information can be obtained concerning any.

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Jacob Hurd, the father of Nathaniel, was a goldsmith of Boston, and his name is on pieces of plate in the First and Second churches in Boston, and the First Church, and Christ Church, in Dorchester. He very probably made book-plates, though no signed work is known. He died in 1758. He appears in the list of subscribers to “Prince’s Chronological History of New England,” as taking six copies.