President William Henry Harrison in a 1931 Facsimile Reissue of the 1844 Silhouette Lithograph, by William Henry Brown

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On offer is an exceptional facsimile reissue of a 1844 silhouette lithograph of William Henry Harrison, the ninth President of … Read more On offer is an exceptional facsimile reissue of a 1844 silhouette lithograph of William Henry Harrison, the ninth President of the United States. The original of this piece was created for William Henry Brown’s landmark publication, “Portrait Gallery of Distinguished American Citizens.”
William Henry Harrison is famously known for having the shortest presidency in U.S. history, dying just 31 days after his inauguration in 1841. This silhouette was captured "from life" by Brown prior to the President's death. Harrison is depicted in full profile facing right toward a tall window. He stands inside a refined 1840s parlor featuring patterned floral wallpaper, an upholstered hearth rug, a framed landscape painting on the wall, and an ornate white marble fireplace mantle holding a vase of flowers.
Tragically, nearly the entire original first edition of Brown's Portrait Gallery book was destroyed in a massive bindery fire shortly after production. Because very few original folios survived intact, true 1844 first-edition sheets are incredibly scarce and highly prized by institutions like the Library of Congress and the Brooklyn Museum.
Due to the fire's devastation, G.A. Baker & Co. published a highly accurate, high-quality facsimile reissue in 1931 using a collotype reproduction method. These 1931 prints retain the exact 1844 copyright text from the originals.
The lower-left margin reads "From life by Wm. H. Brown". William Henry Brown (1808–1883) was a famous American traveling master silhouette artist. He cut the silhouettes of famous statesmen entirely freehand from black paper. For the original project Brown pioneered a method where his stark, solid-black paper cutouts were placed against finely detailed, illustrated lithographic backgrounds. The combined compositions were then printed together on stone presses.
The lower-right margin states "Lith. of E.B. & E.C. Kellogg". Based in Hartford, Connecticut, the Kellogg brothers were the second-largest publishers of popular decorative prints in 19th-century America, right behind Currier & Ives.
The center panel reads "WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. Entered according to act of Congress, in the year 1844, by E.B. & E.C. Kellogg, in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of Connecticut."
Signature/Maker’s Mark: Imprinted (photo #5,6,7). Image dimensions: 13.25 inches high x 10 inches wide. See less