Portfolio Cover for Picturesque Views of American Scenery, No. II
1819/21
Medium
Letterpress on blue wove paper
Dimensions
57.2 × 39.8 cm (22 9/16 × 15 11/16 in.)
Classification
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
192458
Art Historical Context
This striking portfolio cover, by British-born printmaker Hill between 181 and 1821, served as the title page for the second installment of *Picturesque Views of American Scenery*. Measuring over 22 by 15 inches and printed in letterpress on blue wove paper, the work was designed to introduce a series of landscape prints celebrating the natural beauty of the young United States. Its bold typography and decorative layout would have framed the accompanying views for an audience eager to see their homeland depicted with the same romantic sensibility applied to European scenery. Hill’s choice of ...