Description: THE RACE BRIDGE FAIRMOUNT WATER WORKS, PHILADELPHIA Artist: C. Burton ____________ Engraver: J. Andrews Note: the title in the table above is printed below the engraving CLICK HERE TO SEE MORE 19th CENTURY ANTIQUE PRINTS LIKE THIS ONE!! PRINT DATE: This engraving was printed in 1846; it is not a modern reproduction in any way. PRINT SIZE: Overall print size is 8 1/2 inches by 10 1/2 inches including white borders. PRINT CONDITION: Condition is excellent. Bright and clean. Blank on reverse. Paper is quality woven rag stock paper. SHIPPING: Buyer to pay shipping, domestic orders receives priority mail, international orders receive regular air mail unless otherwise asked for. We take a variety of payment options. Full payment details will be in our email after auction close. We pack properly to protect your item! PRINT DESCRIPTION: The Fairmount Water Works in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania was the first municipal waterworks in the United States. Designed in 1812 by Frederick Graff and built between 1819 and 1822 it operated until 1909, winning praise for its design and becoming a popular tourist attraction. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976 and is once again in the process of winning back visitors, having now opened an Interpretive Center to aid in understanding the waterworks' purpose and history. Following a series of yellow fever epidemics in the late 1700s (which was at the time thought to be caused by unclean water) city leaders appointed a "Watering Committee". The initial water system was designed by Benjamin Latrobe and accepted by the committee in 1799. His system utilized two steam engines to pump water from the Schuylkill River, into the city, then into two water tanks. From the water tanks, the water was gravity fed into a series of wooden water mains. The system was plagued with problems. If either of the steam engines failed, the water supply to the city was cut off. The committee began searching for another solution and eventually picked John David and Frederick Graff to design a new waterworks, in order to meet the demand of the increasing numbers of city residents. The waterworks were constructed between 1819 and 1822 on the banks of the Schuylkill River. The waterworks initially consisted of a 3 million gallon (11,350,000 L) reservoir and a pump house using steam engines to pump water. In 1822, a 1,600-foot (487 m) dam was built across the Schuylkill to direct water to three water wheels that replaced the steam engine. Later, Jonval turbines were used to lift the water. The facility, the industrial nature of which was disguised by a Greek Revival exterior, became a tourist attraction for its beauty and its location on the riverside. Visitors included Charles Dickens, who praised it for its pleasant design and public usefulness. The waterworks eventually closed in 1909, after years of service, when several newer and more technologically updated facilities were built Please note: the terms used in our auctions for engraving, etching, lithograph, plate, photogravure etc. are ALL prints on paper, and NOT blocks of steel or wood or any other material. “ENGRAVINGS”, the term commonly used for these paper prints, were the most common method in the 1700s and 1800s for illustrating old books, and these paper prints or “engravings” were created by the intaglio process of etching the negative of the image into a block of steel, copper, wood etc, and then when inked and pressed onto paper, a print image was created. These prints or engravings were usually inserted into books, although many were also printed and issued as loose stand alone lithographs. They often had a tissue guard or onion skin frontis to protect them from transferring their ink to the opposite page and were usually on much thicker quality woven rag stock paper than the regular prints. So this auction is for an antique paper print(s), probably from an old book, of very high quality and usually on very thick rag stock paper. A RARE FIND! AND GREAT DECORATION FOR YOUR OFFICE OR DEN WALL .
Price: 12.79 USD
Location: New Providence, New Jersey
End Time: 2024-12-24T14:00:48.000Z
Shipping Cost: 7.95 USD
Product Images
Item Specifics
Restocking Fee: No
Return shipping will be paid by: Buyer
All returns accepted: Returns Accepted
Item must be returned within: 14 Days
Refund will be given as: Money Back
Material: Engraving
Date of Creation: 1800-1899
Original/Reproduction: Original Print
Subject: Architecture & Cityscape
Print Type: Engraving
Original/Licensed Reprint: Original
Type: Print
