"Washington Crossing the Delaware" Engraving by Paul Girardet

This 1865, hand-colored engraving by A. H. Ritchie is entitled Lady Washington's Reception and is based on Daniel F. Huntington's original painting "Th...

Presented here is an 1876 engraving of John B. Bachelder and James Walker’s Gettysburg. The Repulse of Longstreet’s Assault. The engraved scene depicts the decisive battle on the final day of the Battle of Gettysburg. Researched by the photographer and topographer John B. Bachelder and painted by James Walker, the original painting was created in 1870. This detailed engraving was done by H. B. Hall Jr. and published by James Drummond Ball. Otherwise called Pickett’s Charge, the battle occurred on July 3, 1863. Pickett’s corp commander, Lieutenant General James Longstreet was placed in charge of the attack despite his hesitations. Longstreet’s central role led to the title of the work, Repulse of Longstreet’s Assault. In an attempt to gain control of an important supply route, nine Confederate brigades charged across three-quarters of a mile of open ground against cannon fire to take Cemetery Ridge from the defending Union Army. Despite their overwhelming numbers, the Confederate forces were repelled with considerable casualties marking not only a decisive victory for the Union, but also the beginning of the slow defeat of Lee’s Army. The furthest the charging forces advanced before being repulsed would forever be known as the “High Water Mark of the Confederacy.” The Confederate army never recovered from the losses at Gettysburg and it effectively ended Lee’s campaign into Pennsylvania. The engraving gives the perspective from the Union rear, one that encompasses most of the battlefield, from Big Round Top on the left to the northern reaches of Cemetery Ridge on the right. The Confederate lines at Seminary Ridge are in the far distance, partially obscured by bursting shells. The image centers on the main Confederate assault, in the vicinity of what today are known as "The Copse" and "The Bloody Angle." The composition has elemen...

This engraved print shows a view of the United States Capitol Building, in Washington, D.C. The print depicts the neoclassical building from the northeast orientation, with a bustling street scene in front. The steel engraving is a proof printing, drawn and engraved by Henry Sartain and published in 1858. Plans began in May 1854 to build a new cast-iron dome for the United States Capitol. The then-architect of the Capitol Thomas Walter and his team were sold on the aesthetics of a new dome, as well as the utility of a fire-proof one. A year later, on March 3, 1855, President Franklin Pierce...

Presented is a handsome engraved portrait of George Washington by Italian artist Giuseppe Longhi. Titled “Georgius Washington” this engraving was published in Padua, Italy in 1817. The composition is based on a drawing by Longhi himself, but certainly influenced by the Gilbert Stuart and John Trumbull portraits. Washington is depicted in a head and shoulders pose, with his chest to the left but his head angled to the right. He wears a dark coat and vest and a white shirt and ruffled cravat. The father of our country, George Washington was the commander in chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War (1775-83) and served two terms as the first United States president...