Beschreibung:

The only engraving of its type known, published in 1886 by the Illustrated News, Cincinnati, Ohio, as a Supplement to the Cincinnati Illustrated News- Grand Exposition Number, August 21. Depicting a bird's-eye view of the "Queen City" as it was in 1886, from Fountain Square looking north and capturing an expansive area, from Fairmount to the Bellevue House to Mt. Adams dotting the horizon. Within these boundaries are too many landmarks to list all of them here, including old Cincinnati businesses, government buildings, streets and statuary. Below the plate are detailed listings of noteworthy buildings and sectors of the city. This engraving provides a wonderful and accurate glimpse into the city of Cincinnati during the late 19th century, at a time when it was a thriving industrial and cultural powerhouse of the Midwest. The artist responsible for the scene is Charles Arthur Fries (1854-1940), who also worked as an illustrator, lithographer and plein air painter. Fries studied privately under Charles T. Webber, a Cincinnati artist who was one of the founding members of the Cincinnati Art Academy. He left Cincinnati in 1887, traveling with his new wife to New York and he never returned. The end of his career was spent in San Diego, California. It is known that Fries was apprenticed to a Cincinnati lithographer in his teens, and so he would have been familiar with the engraving process. The print itself measures 30 x 44.5 in. and consists of four vertical strips of paper, and framed measures 40 x 51 in. Condition: Very good condition overall, with minor toning to margins near the mat.