1910 Richard Rummell View of Dickinson College, Pennsylvania

This is a scarce, 1910 Richard Rummell view of Dickinson College, in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. The sepia coloring of this print is consistent with other first editions of Rummell's views. The presence both of the Littig imprint and also Rummell's hand signature reinforces the assessment of this as a first edition. Moreover, the presence of only tracings of the view's title, just discernible in the bottom margin, indicates that it is likely a proof.

Dickinson College's Historic Main Campus

Founded in 1773 as Carlisle Grammar School, Dickinson would become in 1783 the first college to be founded after the formation of the United States - and at its foundation, the furthest west of any college in the country. The view is centered on the park at the juncture of West High Street and North West Street. Although the College has grown over the intervening century, this view of Dickinson's main campus displays Denny Hall, Old West and East College, and the Tome Scientific Building (renamed in 2001 the Stern Center). Also shown is Bosler Hall, prior to its midcentury renovations. Despite several college closings in its history, Dickinson remains active. Famous alumni include James Buchanan, the 15th president of the United States; Roger Brooke Taney, the 5th chief justice of the United States; and Henry Clarke, developer of the Klondike Bar.

Rummell University Views

Rummell was an American landscape artist known for his drawings of American universities. At the turn of the century, Littig and Company commissioned Rummell to prepare watercolors of some of the nation's most prestigious colleges. From these watercolors, copper-plates were engraved, and a limited number of engravings were issued. Most of Rummell's university views are strikingly similar in style, revealing the campus in panoramic splendor. The views are uniformly issued from an altitude of about 300 feet, suggesting the Rummell most likely worked from a balloon. Although modern restrikes of Rummell's college views taken from the original printing plates can be found, the original printings have become extremely rare - particularly proof states such as this. We find no examples of the Dickinson College view in OCLC.