The Old Print Shop

A View of the country towards Dorchester, taken from the advanced works on Boston Neck.

  • ARTIST: J. F. W. Des Barres

  • MEDIUM: Copper plate engraving,

    DATE: c.1776.

  • EDITION SIZE: 4 1/2 x 8 3/16" (11.6 x 20.8 cm) plus title and wide margins.

  • DESCRIPTION: This image was drawn during the early days of the American Revolution before the British were forces to abandon Boston. This print shows the open countryside looking toward Dorchester, with the five hills, Bowdoin, Popes, Meeting House, Savin and Jones in the distance. Several soldiers man a redoubt on the left.<BR><BR> This print appeared in the "Atlantic Neptune" by Captain Joseph Frederick Wallet Des Barres. This work is one of the finest large-scale sea atlases ever produced. The maps in the atlas were produced over a seven-year period (1775-82) and are well known for their accurate portrayal of various sounds, bays, bars, and harbors, as well as navigational hazards. The topographical views that appeared in the "Atlantic Neptune" were intended to supplement the atlas’s marine charts by giving seafarers visual clues for recognizing the approaches to major harbors, bays, and waterways. This work was used extensively by the Royal Navy during the American Revolution.

  • ADDITIONAL INFO:

  • CONDITION: Good condition save for some offset on right. Centerfold as issued.

  • REFERENCE: Cresswell, "The American Revolution in drawings and prints" #502..