Moïse

1828 · réf. 42606 — Boston: Pendleton's Lithography 1828. Uncoloured lithograph. Framed size: 19 1/4 x 15 5/8 inches. An early American marine lithograph depicting the steam packet Chancellor Livingston entering Newport Harbor issued at the outset of steam navigation on the New England coast. Published in Boston by Pendleton's Lithography after a design by Moses Swett this print presents the Chancellor Livingston under way as it enters Newport Harbor with passengers visible along the decks and flags flying from the rigging. The composition combines a detailed vessel portrait with a wider harbour view situating the steamer within a recognizable coastal setting and emphasizing both its scale and activity. The vessel itself held a prominent place in early American steam navigation. Originally associated with Robert Fulton's Hudson River operations the Chancellor Livingston was rebuilt in 1827 for service between New York and Providence. The lithograph records this later phase of its career when coastal steam travel was expanding rapidly and such vessels were becoming a familiar presence along the northeastern seaboard. The printed text beneath the image reinforces the promotional aspect of the print listing the vessel's dimensions horsepower boilers and fittings as well as its passenger capacity and accommodations. This combination of technical specification and visual representation places the image at the intersection of ship portraiture and commercial advertisement reflecting the contemporary interest in steam technology and its practical advantages. As a product of Pendleton's Lithography the print also belongs to the earliest phase of lithographic production in the United States. Established in Boston in the 1820s the firm was among the first to adopt the medium on a sustained basis and works such as this illustrate both the technical possibilities of lithography and its application to subjects of current interest. The present impression reflects that early moment when lithography was emerging as a flexible and effective means of producing images of modern life and technology. Pendleton's Lithography unknown