Object Record
Images
Metadata
Catalog Number |
2010.11 |
Object Name |
Engraving |
Title |
Fairmount Gardens, With the Schuylkill Bridge |
Artist |
Bartlett, W.H. |
Artist 2 |
Giles, J. |
Date |
1839 |
Description |
Landscape portrait of the Fairmount gardens. In the center, four adults and one child, well dressed, stand on a light colored wooden bridge that veers off to the right. Directly next to the wooden bridge is a green hill, sloped downward with trees and green shrubbery. In the bottom right is grass, dotted with trees and walkway winding through the grass with a large fountain set behind the walkway. The Schuylkill Bridge arches across a river in the background and the bridge leads a building in the right background: the Harding Hotel, a popular resort. |
Label |
This engraving, made in 1839 after an earlier picture by English artist William Henry Bartlett, depicts the Fairmount Waterworks, a famous Philadelphia landmark. Conceived by Frederic Graff, a former assistant to architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe, the Waterworks combined technological achievement with an aesthetically pleasing design. In 1822, pumping engines powered by waterwheels replaced the previous dangerous and inefficient steam engines at the Fairmount site, providing the city with safe, drinkable water from the Schuylkill River. The old Engine House became a restaurant to accommodate the multitude of tourists who visited the site. The bridge shown here, known as the Schuylkill Bridge, the Upper Ferry Bridge, or "The Colossus of Fairmount," built from 1809 to 1812, was a marvel of engineering by Lewis Wernwag. The bridge burned down in 1838 and was replaced by a wire-cable suspension bridge. Adolph G. Rosengarten probably donated this drawing to the APS in the mid-20th century. He gave more than 200 items to the Society, including many images of the city. |
Medium |
Engraving |
Dimensions |
H-6.75 W-8.75 inches |
Credit line |
American Philosophical Society |
Search Terms |
19th century nineteenth century Philadelphia landscape women |