Portfolio Cover for Picturesque Views of American Scenery, No. I
1819/21
Medium
Letterpress on blue wove paper
Dimensions
Sheet, folded: 56.8 × 39.6 cm (22 3/8 × 15 5/8 in.)
Classification
aquatint
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
137900
Art Historical Context
This portfolio cover, created by John Hill between 1819 and 1821, served as the protective wrapper for the first installment of *Picturesque Views of American Scenery*. Printed in letterpress on blue wove paper, the folded sheet measures just over 22 by 15 inches and was designed to house a series of aquatint prints celebrating the young nation’s landscapes. Hill, an English-born printmaker who emigrated to the United States, brought sophisticated European techniques to American subjects at a moment when the country was eager to define its own visual identity. The cover’s classification as an...