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At the Institute’s core is the Gilder Lehrman Collection, one of the great archives in American history. More than 85,000 items cover five hundred years of American history, from Columbus’s 1493 letter describing the New World through the end of the twentieth century.

Sartain, John (1808-1897) The Battle of Gettysburg

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC02980.01 Author/Creator: Sartain, John (1808-1897) Place Written: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Type: Print Date: 1885 Pagination: 1 print : hand col. ; 65.6 x 98 cm. Order a Copy

Headline reads "From the Original Picture painted for the State of Pennsylvania under award of Commission appointed by the Legislature." Caption reads "Entered according to act of Congress in the year 1872 by P. F. Rothermel in the office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington, D.C. Published 1885 by Joseph A. Joel, 88 Nassau St. New York." Hand colored print depicts Union troops crossing the Confederate line.

Born in London; apprenticed to a London engraver whose daughter he married. Emigrated to Philadelphia in 1830; became premier portrait engraver. Introduced to America the British art of mezzotint engraving with visually rich images. This process more thoughtfully rendered prints of oil paintings than any previous method of printmaking. Leading artists of the day, including Benjamin West, Thomas Sully, George Caleb Bingham, Henry Inman, and John Neagle, commissioned Sartain to translate their works into print. Thought to have engraved over 1500 prints during his career.

Sartain, John, 1808-1897

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