Photo, Print, Drawing Northeast View of the Old Court House in Market Street, Philadelphia. N. E. view of the old court house in Market Street Philada
About this Item
Title
- Northeast View of the Old Court House in Market Street, Philadelphia.
Other Title
- N. E. view of the old court house in Market Street Philada
Summary
- This lithographic print shows the Old Court House in Market Street, Philadelphia, built in 1707-10 by carpenter Samuel Powell after the justices complained of having to hold court in an ale-house. The lower level was originally a watch-house, and the courtroom was on the second story. Official proclamations were read from the balcony, which was also where newly appointed governors of Pennsylvania made their inaugural addresses and elections for the county and city of Philadelphia were held before the State House was built. A cupola on the roof held the town bell. After the State House was erected in the mid-18th century and the Philadelphia County Court House in the late 1780s, the utility of the Old Court House was much reduced. It was torn down in 1837, the same year in which William Breton (circa 1773-1855) recorded its appearance in this print. Another of Breton's lithographs shows the actual demolition of the building. Breton was a watercolorist and early lithographer of Philadelphia scenes, who was active in the city between about 1825 and 1855. He initially made his name by supplying illustrations for John F. Watson's Annals of Philadelphia, published in 1830.
Names
- Breton, William L., circa 1773-1855 Artist.
Created / Published
- Philadelphia : Lehman & Duval Lithography, 1837.
Headings
- - United States of America--Pennsylvania--Philadelphia
- - 1837
- - Bell towers
- - Cities and towns
- - Courthouses
- - Government buildings
- - Lithographs
- - Markets
- - Merchants
- - Street scenes
- - Street vendors
Notes
- - Title devised, in English, by Library staff.
- - "Digital catalog number: POS 496"--Note extracted from World Digital Library.
- - Original resource extent: 1 print : lithograph ; 17 x 15 centimeters.
- - Reference extracted from World Digital Library: William L. Breton, Philadelphia on Stone Biographical Dictionary, Library Company of Philadelphia, http://www.lcpdigital.org.|Philadelphia External on Stone Biographical Dictionary of Lithographers, http://www.librarycompany.org/pos/posdictionary.htm.|John External Thomas Scharf and Thompson Westcott, History of Philadelphia, 1609-1884 (Philadelphia: L.H. Everts, 1884).
- - Original resource at: The Library Company of Philadelphia.
- - Content in English.
- - Description based on data extracted from World Digital Library, which may be extracted from partner institutions.
Medium
- 1 online resource.
Source Collection
- Philadelphia on Stone
Digital Id
Library of Congress Control Number
- 2021670214
Online Format
- compressed data
- image