The Old Print Shop

View of Faneuil-Hall, in Boston, Massachusetts.

  • ARTIST: Samuel Hill

  • PUBLISHER: Published in "The Massachusetts Magazine, or Monthly Museum of Knowledge and rational entertainment, Boston, Ma."

  • MEDIUM: Engraving,

    DATE: 1789.

  • EDITION SIZE: Image size 3 3/4 x 6 3/8" (9.5 x 16.2 cm). Paper size 5 1/4 x 8 3/16".

  • DESCRIPTION: This 18th-century engraving by Samuel Hill, featured in "The Massachusetts Magazine" (March, 1789), depicts Faneuil Hall, a prominent marketplace and meeting hall in Boston, Massachusetts.<br><br> Titled "View of Faneuil-Hall in Boston, Massachusetts," the artwork highlights the historical significance of Faneuil Hall, which played a crucial role in the early discussions of American independence. The detailed engraving captures the hall's architecture and its prominence in 18th-century Boston, as it would have been known to the people during the Revolutionary War.<br><br> Faneuil Hall was a gift to Boston from colonial merchant Peter Faneuil and was designed by artist John Smibert. It initially served as a market house and assembly room. The building depicted in the engraving is the one rebuilt in 1762 after a fire destroyed the original structure in 1761.<br><br> Renowned as the place where the Sons of Liberty proclaimed their dissent against Royal oppression, Faneuil Hall has been a forum for debate on crucial issues for over 270 years. In 1764, it was here that Americans first protested the Sugar Act and the Stamp Act, establishing the doctrine of "no taxation without representation." Subsequent gatherings protested the Townshend Acts, the Redcoat occupation, and the Tea Act. Today, Faneuil Hall is part of the Boston National Historical Park and a key stop on the Freedom Trail.

  • ADDITIONAL INFO: This piece is in a 14 x 11" mat for handling.

  • CONDITION: Overall fair condition. There is a stain in the top left corner and there is subtle scatted staining throughout. A 1/4" section of the bottom paper edge has been folded, but this fold would be unnoticeable if framed. The paper is toned from age.

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