#lcpdrawings

This beautifully rendered architectural drawing of the Capitol Building in Harrisburg shows all of the decorative details of the main rotunda from colorful murals to the texture of marble. A figure standing in the lower right shows the building’s grand scale. 

William Birch, Thomas Birch, ca. 1790. Watercolor, ink, and pencil. Library Company of Philadelphia.

Thomas Birch (1779-1851), William’s eldest son, pursued an art career like his father, finding success as a marine and landscape artist. Two of William’s other children, Priscilla Birch Barnes and George, also shared some of their father’s artistic talent. Priscilla exhibited work at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and George executed a drawing for one of his father’s Country Seats views.

Is a rendering of “A Highly Restricted Residential Park” what you think? Yes and no. Associate Curator of Prints and Photographs Erika Piola highlights a recent acquisition of an original drawing from long-term donor David Doret in her Curator’s Favorite “To Beguile and Belie.” 

This kitty seems to have jumped out of his skin. 

The cat is part of a wider watercolor scene of mayhem concerning a runaway pig at Front and Market Streets in Philadelphia. 

William or Thomas Birch, Preparatory sketch for An Unfinished House, in Chestnut Street Philadelphia, ca. 1800. Watercolor and ink. 

An Unfinished House, in Chestnut Street Philadelphia, (Philadelphia: W. Birch & Son, 1800). Hand-colored engraving. 

For subscribers not familiar with Philadelphia, Birch’s ambiguous title, “an unfinished house,” could mean that this impressive edifice was under construction and would soon be a showcase of American style and wealth. In reality, the residence’s owner, financier Robert Morris (1734-1806) was in debtors’ prison and the house, located near Eighth Street, would soon be demolished with the building’s materials used to pay off Morris’s creditors. William Birch purchased two bas- reliefs from the house for use in his own residence Springland. Restrikes from the original printing plate were issued as late as 1860.

The first step in making a reduced image of a painting or a print was graphing it onto paper.  This sketch of Ary Scheffer’s (1795-1858) small oil portrait of Lafayette was used to make an enamel.  The lines helped Birch keep every part of the picture in proportion.  He probably used the same technique to reduce or enlarge his own enamels, which he offered in a range of sizes.

William Birch after Ary Scheffer, Preparatory sketch for Marquis de Lafayette portrait, 1824.  Pencil sketch. Library Company of Philadelphia.

William Birch after Ary Scheffer, Marquis de Lafayette, 1824. Enamel on copper. Courtesy of the Yale University Art Gallery.

It is a beautiful harbor, with billowy clouds, soft setting light, a ship on what looks to be a sandbar, and probably most importantly, a fluffy dog looking into your soul. What is this dog trying to tell us?