New York State Legislature Portrait Prints Collection
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Abstract
Collection consists of 19 stipple engraved plates containing medallion profile portraits of 57 prominent men who served in the New York State Legislature in 1798.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged in four series based on provenance.
Scope and Content Note
The New York State Legislature Portrait Prints collection holds stipple engraved plates of prominent men who served in elected positions in state government in 1798. The plates came from a variety of sources, and have been arranged in four series to reflect provenance. The history of the engravings is told by R.W.G. Vail in his article "The First New York State Mug Book: Portraits of the Legislature of 1798" (in "The New-York Historical Society Quarterly," vol. 35, no. 1, January 1951).
The engravings are attributed by Vail to the firm of Albany silversmith and engraver Isaac Hutton. Lithographic reproductions of some of the New York State Legislature portrait prints may be found in the Portrait File (PR-052).
Subjects
Organizations
People
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Access Restrictions
Materials in this collection may be stored offsite. For more information on making arrangements to consult them, please visit www.nyhistory.org/library/visit.
Use Restrictions
Taking images of documents from the library collections for reference purposes by using hand-held cameras and in accordance with the library's photography guidelines is encouraged. As an alternative, patrons may request up to 20 images per day from staff.
Application to use images from this collection for publication should be made in writing to: Department of Rights and Reproductions, The New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024-5194, rightsandrepro@nyhistory.org. Phone: (212) 873-3400 ext. 282.
Copyrights and other proprietary rights may subsist in individuals and entities other than the New-York Historical Society, in which case the patron is responsible for securing permission from those parties. For fuller information about rights and reproductions from N-YHS visit: https://www.nyhistory.org/about/rights-reproductions
Preferred Citation
This collection should be cited as: New York State Legislature Portrait Prints Collection, PR 213, Department of Prints, Photographs, and Architectural Collections, The New-York Historical Society.
Location of Materials
Provenance
Collection comprised of multiple gifts and acquisitions: 7 of the 8 plates in series I were given to the N-YHS in 1807 by John Pintard, who had previously been presented with the set by Rev. Uzal Ogden. The eighth plate was received by the Society as a gift from Mr. Harry Shaw Newman. The plates in series II were a gift of Robert Goelet in April of 1978. Plates in series III were transferred from the Duane-Featherstonhaugh family papers.
About this Guide
Edition of this Guide
Repository
Series I: New-York Historical Society Plates
Scope and Contents note
Series I holds what is apparently the only complete set of the portraits in existence. According to Vail, seven of the eight prints were given to the Society in 1807 by John Pintard, after he had received them from Reverend Uzal Ogden. The missing eighth plate was later acquired from Harry Shaw Newman. A second full set of plates was formerly held in the New York State Library in Albany, but was destroyed in the great library fire of 1911.
Governor John Jay and Lt. Governor Stephen Van Rensselaer, 1798
Speaker of the House Dirck Ten Broeck, 1798
Senators: L'Hommedieu, Gold, Jones, Cantine, Silvester, Graham, Thompson, Sanger, and Phelps, 1798
Senators: Morris, White, VanVechten, Gansevoort, and Gelston; Assemblymen: Ogden, Warner, Howard, and Fonda, 1798
Assemblymen: Hildreth, Mason, Henry, Bird, Jenkins, Denning, Hovey, Smith, and Foot, 1798
Assemblymen: Morse, McNiel, Heermance, Clift, Fort, Hoag, Hall, Hogeboom, and Thomas, 1798
Assemblymen: Williamson, Dewey, Bowen, Wood, Holly, Griswold, McFarland, De la Montagnie, and Prince, 1798
Assemblymen: Holt, Bowman, Verplank, Schuyler, Van Alstyne, Clinton, Hogeboom, Benton, and Brown, 1798
Series II: Goelet Plates
Scope and Contents note
Series II holds five plates that were given to the Society in April 1978 by Robert Goelet. These prints have been trimmed to dimensions of printed border, 20.4 x 17.5 cm.
Senators: L'Hommedieu, Gold, Jones, Cantine, Silvester, Graham, Thompson, Sanger, and Phelps, 1798
Senators: Morris, White, VanVechten, Gansevoort, and Gelston; Assemblymen: Ogden, Warner, Howard, and Fonda, 1798
Assemblymen: Hildreth, Mason, Henry, Bird, Jenkins, Denning, Hovey, Smith, and Foot, 1798
Assemblymen: Morse, McNiel, Heermance, Clift, Fort, Hoag, Hall, Hogeboom, and Thomas, 1798
Assemblymen: Williamson, Dewey, Bowen, Wood, Holly, Griswold, McFarland, De la Montagnie, and Prince, 1798
Series III: Duane Plates
Scope and Contents note
Series III were, according to a note written on their former enclosure, "removed from Duane Papers VII." The four plates are damaged, each either cut or torn, and none are complete in having all nine portraits present.
Senators: Morris, White, VanVechten, Gansevoort, and Gelston; Assemblymen: Ogden, Warner, Howard, and Fonda, 1798
Assemblymen: Morse, McNiel, Heermance, Clift, Fort, Hoag, Hall, Hogeboom, and Thomas, 1798
Assemblymen: Williamson, Dewey, Bowen, Wood, Holly, Griswold, McFarland, De la Montagnie, and Prince, 1798
Assemblymen: Holt, Bowman, Verplank, Schuyler, Van Alstyne, Clinton, Hogeboom, Benton, and Brown, 1798
Series IV: Miscellaneous Plates
Scope and Contents note
Series IV holds two plates from an unknown source.