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Asher B. Durand print collection

Call Number

PR 221

Date

1813-1835, undated, inclusive

Creator

New-York Historical Society

Extent

0.46 Linear feet (2 boxes + 6 oversize flat files)

Language of Materials

This collection is primarily visual. Any text is likely to be in English.

Abstract

The collection holds copies of prints engraved by Durand, or engraved by others after paintings by Durand.

Arrangement

Engravings are grouped by size.

Scope and Contents

The Asher B. Durand Print Collection holds copies of prints engraved by Durand, or engraved by others after paintings by Durand. The collection is divided into two series: Boxed Prints and Oversize Prints. Therein prints are filed by title or by general subject.

Included in the collection are early engravings made by Durand in 1813 while an apprentice in the shop of Peter Maverick. From the years 1824 to 1832, Durand made a living as a bank note engraver under the firms A.B. & C. Durand & Co., A.B. & C. Durand, Wright & Co., and Durand, Perkins & Co. Many of these engravings and vignettes are included here. Book and magazine illustrations in the collection include the title page to the New-York Mirror (used from 1831-1840) and a copy of William Cullen Bryant's The American Landscape, for which Durand engraved views. Portraits of famous Americans engraved by Durand are arranged alphabetically. Four of Durand's major plates are represented: classical subjects "Musidora" and "Ariadne;" a portrait of Andrew Jackson after John Vanderlyn; and a scene of the signing of the "Declaration of Independence" after John Trumball. The collection also includes several prints engraved by other artists after Durand's landscape paintings.

Access Restrictions

Materials in this collection may be stored offsite. For more information on making arrangements to consult them, please visit www.nyhistory.org/library/visit.

Use Restrictions

Taking images of documents from the library collections for reference purposes by using hand-held cameras and in accordance with the library's photography guidelines is encouraged. As an alternative, patrons may request up to 20 images per day from staff.

Application to use images from this collection for publication should be made in writing to: Department of Rights and Reproductions, The New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024-5194, rightsandrepro@nyhistory.org. Phone: (212) 873-3400 ext. 282.

Copyrights and other proprietary rights may subsist in individuals and entities other than the New-York Historical Society, in which case the patron is responsible for securing permission from those parties. For fuller information about rights and reproductions from N-YHS visit: https://www.nyhistory.org/about/rights-reproductions

Preferred Citation

This collection should be cited as Asher B. Durand Print Collection, PR 221, Department of Prints, Photographs, and Architectural Collections, New-York Historical Society.

Location of Materials

Materials in this collection may be stored offsite. For more information on making arrangements to consult them, please visit www.nyhistory.org/library/visit.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gifts of various donors, including Lucy Durand Woodman, daughter of the artist, and her daughter, Nora Durand Woodman.

Related Materials

Other engravings by Durand may be found throughout the Portrait File (PR 052), as well as in other print collections in the Department of Prints, Photographs, and Architectural Collections. Especially notable is his portrait of John Quincy Adams, in PR 052. The Asher B. Durand Negative Collection (PR 165) includes glass negatives showing interior views of Durand's studio. The Library holds many books with illustrations by Durand, including two copies of Bryant's The American Landscape. The New-York Historical Society's Museum holds many of Durand's paintings and decorative arts, as well as a set of engraving tools used by him.

Collection processed by

Jenny Gotwals (2011); Larry Weimer (2021)

About this Guide

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2023-08-21 15:48:14 -0400.
Using Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language: Finding aid is written in English

Processing Information

The collection was processed by Jenny Gotwals in the early 2000s and her finding aid was published online in 2011. The finding aid was updated in July and September 2021 by archivist Larry Weimer with the addition of newly acquired prints.

Repository

New-York Historical Society
New-York Historical Society
170 Central Park West
New York, NY 10024