''Birch's Views of Philadelphia'' was an 1800 book of prints drawn and engraved by

William Russell Birch William Russell Birch (9 April 1755 – 7 August 1834) was an English miniature painter, enameler, and landscape engraver and designer. Early life and education Birch was born in Warwickshire, the son of Anne, née Russell, and physician Th ...

(1755–1834) and his son

Thomas Birch Thomas Birch (23 November 17059 January 1766) was an English historian. Life He was the son of Joseph Birch, a coffee-mill maker, and was born at Clerkenwell. He preferred study to business but, as his parents were Quakers, he did not go to ...

(1779–1851). The 27 illustrations of the city are extraordinarily valuable to historians because they document

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

architecture and street-life at the beginning of the nineteenth century. Formally titled ''The City of Philadelphia, in the State of Pennsylvania North America; as it appeared in the Year 1800'', the volume was self-published by William Birch in December 1800. Birch was a British-born miniature painter and engraver, and this became his most famous work. Philadelphia was the temporary capital of the United States when the Birches began the project in 1798.

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (, 1743July 4, 1826) was an American Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was the primary author of the United States Declaration of Indepe ...

, then

Vice President of the United States The vice president of the United States (VPOTUS) is the second-highest ranking office in the Executive branch of the United States government, executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the president of the United States, and ranks f ...

, was among the 156 subscribers to the initial printing. Other subscribers included British Minister to the U.S.

Robert Liston Robert Liston (28 October 1794 – 7 December 1847) was a British surgeon. Liston was noted for his speed and skill in an era prior to anaesthesia, anaesthetics, when speed made a difference in terms of pain and survival. He was the first Pro ...

, Spanish Minister to the U.S. The Chevalier d'Yrujo, former Pennsylvania Governor

Thomas Mifflin Thomas Mifflin (January 10, 1744January 20, 1800) was an American merchant, soldier, and politician from Pennsylvania, who is regarded as a Founding Father of the United States for his roles during and after the American Revolution. Mifflin sig ...

, New York City Mayor

Richard Varick Richard Varick (March 15, 1753 – July 30, 1831) was an American lawyer, military officer, and politician who has been referred to as "The Forgotten Founding Father." A major figure in the development of post-Independence New York City and the ...

, architect

Benjamin Latrobe Benjamin Henry Boneval Latrobe (May 1, 1764 – September 3, 1820) was a British-American neoclassical architect who immigrated to the United States. He was one of the first formally trained, professional architects in the new United States, dr ...

, artist Edward Savage, and several members of

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

. The 1804 second edition listed former U.S. President

John Adams John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. Before Presidency of John Adams, his presidency, he was a leader of ...

as a subscriber. The views depict monuments, everyday life, and even reflect politics of the era. Plate 28 shows a technological marvel, the Water Works in Center Square, a

water tower A water tower is an elevated structure supporting a water tank constructed at a height sufficient to pressurize a water distribution system, distribution system for potable water, and to provide emergency storage for fire protection. Water towe ...

fed by steam pumps that made Philadelphia the first city in the United States with a general water-supply system. Two of the plates portray Native American delegations touring the city, and at least two plates include African Americans. Plate 29 shows the USS Frigate ''Philadelphia'' being built in a

Southwark Southwark ( ) is a district of Central London situated on the south bank of the River Thames, forming the north-western part of the wider modern London Borough of Southwark. The district, which is the oldest part of South London, developed ...

shipyard, but the engraving's ominous title, "Preparation for WAR to defend Commerce," refers to the 1798-1800

Quasi-War The Quasi-War was an undeclared war from 1798 to 1800 between the United States and the French First Republic. It was fought almost entirely at sea, primarily in the Caribbean and off the East Coast of the United States, with minor actions in ...

with France, in which hundreds of American merchant vessels were boarded or seized. The Birches created additional views, and updated old ones, including reworking a view of Market Street to show the December 26, 1799 national funeral procession for

George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...

.National Funeral for President Washington
from Explore PA History. ''Birch's Views'' sold well and went into multiple editions, inspiring the pair to publish similar collected views of

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, and of suburban estates surrounding Philadelphia and

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

First edition

Later editions

William and Thomas Birch published a second edition in 1804, a third edition in 1809, and a fourth (and final) edition in 1828.

References

External links

*William Birch, ''The Country Seats of the United States'' (1808), Emily T. Cooperman, ed. (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2008). *Emily T. Cooperman & Lea Carson Sherk, ''William Birch: Picturing the American Scene'' (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2010). *Martin P. Snyder, "William Birch: His Philadelphia Views," ''Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography'', vol. 73 (1949), pp. 271–315. *Martin P. Snyder, "Birch's Philadelphia Views: New Discoveries," ''Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography'', vol. 88 (1964), pp. 164–173. *S. Robert Teitelman, ''Birch's Views of Philadelphia: a reduced facsimile of 'The City of Philadelphia-- as it appeared in the Year 1800': with photographs of the sites in 1960 & 1982.'' (Free Library of Philadelphia, 1982

*S. Robert Teitelman, ''Birch's Views of Philadelphia: A 200th Anniversary Edition.'' (Free Library of Philadelphia, 2000

{{Authority control History of Philadelphia 1800 in Pennsylvania 1800 non-fiction books 1800s architecture in the United States 18th-century engravings 18th century in Philadelphia Self-published books