1761 Pownall / Sanby View of an American Farm Settlement

'the origin of the log cabin as a symbol of the American experience.' - Gilbron

This is Thomas Pownall and Paul Sandby's illustration of the evolution of an American farmstead, from log cabin to gentlemanly estate. It is arguably the most famous and impactful image from the 1761 Six Remarkable Views in the Provinces of New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, published in London. This view is not only one of the earliest illustrations of American settler life, but it has also been credited by Gilbron as 'the origin of the log cabin as a symbol of the American experience.'

A Closer Look

The image is novel in that, though based on actual sketches from life by Pownall, the image is a composite representing the development timeline of the American farmstead. The hard-working settler starts in a crude log cabin by a river - doubtless a tributary of the Hudson. The industrious and inventive farmer is next seen running a sawmill with lumber being collected and loaded on a skiff. Across the river is the future, an elegant Georgian manor, complete with orchards, orderly fields, grounds, and a dock where goods can be transported downstream for sale. The progression epitomizes the American rags-to-riches dream, where daring, ingenuity, and hard work can elevate anyone from a simple man of the earth to the status of a wealthy gentleman on par with old-world landed gentry.

'Scenographia Americana'

The view is part of a series of 28 images of American subjects known collectively as Scenographia Americana, a joint project involving many of London's top printers, engravers, and publishers. The individual drawings, including cities, seascapes, and natural scenes, were generally drawn on the spot, by military artists and surveyors, most serving in the French and Indian War (1754 - 1763) - like Pownall. The full Scenographia Americana is an object of legendary rarity, with only a single example (Christies, 2022) appearing at auction in the last 30 years.

The publication of the Scenographia marked a sea change in the European sensibilities and perspectives on America. While America's dense forests, rugged mountains, endless plains, and enormous rivers were understood from a strategic and commercial perspective, little weight was given to their stunning visual appeal. Although many celebrate the Hudson River School of the 19th century as bringing America's natural beauty to the forefront of the art world, it was, in fact, recognized much earlier. Well-educated French and British officers, engineers, and nobility sent to fight the French and Indian War (1754 - 1763) were rightly sensitive to the beauty around them and recorded it with passion, but primarily in textual missives. Scenographia consolidated these impressions into compelling and evocative engraved images.

Publication History and Census

The view was issued jointly by London's premier map and print publishers: John Bowles, Carington Bowles, Thomas Jefferys, Robert Sayer, and Henry Parker. It is based upon a field sketch by Thomas Pownall (1722 - 1805), rendered into the British colonial governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony from 1757 to 1760. The original sketch was made into a painting by the English artist Paul Sandby (1731 - 1809), before being engraved by James Peake (c. 1729 - 1782), one of the finest engravers then active in London. This view was issued c. 1761 in a series called Six Remarkable Views in the Provinces of New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Later, in 1768, it was reissued in the 28-view Scenographia Americana.

Rare. Of the full Scenographia, we are aware of only 6 surviving examples, 4 in the U.S., another in England, and a sixth in private hands. The separate plates, some having been issued independently in larger quantities, are somewhat better represented institutionally. The present example has been trimmed to the neatline with an Italian decorative border added all around.

Cartographers

Thomas Pownall (1722 - February 5, 1805) was a British scholar, statesman and soldier active in the colonial administration of North America just prior to the American Revolutionary War. Pownell was born in England and educated at Trinity College, Cambridge. After graduation he was employed by his brother, John Pownall, at the office of the Lord's Commissioners of Trade and Plantations, which oversaw British economic interests in its North American colonies. In 1753, Pownall was appointed secretary to the governor of New York, Sir Danvers Osborne. Osborne, himself having be only recently appointed to the position, committed suicide shortly after taking office. Despite this setback, Pownall remained in America and devoted himself to studying and researching the colonies. In the process Pownall became close lifelong friends with Benjamin Franklin and other New World luminaries. He also published several notable works on the colonial administration of North America. In 1757 Pownall was appointed Governor of the Massachusetts Bay colony. In this position he frequently found himself at odds with the restrictive policies of the Board of Trade. It was not long before he was pushed out of office and, declining the governorship of Jamaica, reassigned to South Carolina. Despite nominally holding the governorship of South Carolina, Pownall never visited the colony. Instead he returned to England where he eventually became a member of Parliament. In Parliament, he advocated for reduced taxes towards the colonies - had he been heeded, the American Revolution may have never happened. Pownall retired from public life around 1780, but continued to pursue his scholarly interests. Pownall's research contributed significantly to several important maps and scholarly work on North America.   Further Details...

Paul Sandby (1731 - November 7, 1809) was an English architect, cartographer, engraver, and landscape artist active in the second half of hte 18th and early 19th centuries. Sandby was born in Nottingham. It is not clear where he learned to paint and draw, but in 1741, he relocated to London to join his older brother, Thomas Sandby (1721 - 1798), at the Board of Ordnance at the Tower of London. By 1743, he earned an appointment as a private secretary and draughtsman for William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland. He accompanied Cumberland on various military campaigns in the Scottish Highlands. Afterward, between 1747 and 1751, he worked as chief draftsman on the Military Survey of Scotland, conducted after the Jacobite Rising of 1745. He then retired to Windsor Great Park, where he was appointed Deputy Ranger (under Cumberland). Between his salary at the Board of Ordnance and as a deputy ranger, he was able to lead a leisurely, independent life dedicated to his art. He and his brother were among the 28 founding members of the Royal Academy. He died at his house in Paddington on November 7, 1809, and was buried in the burial ground of St George's, Hanover Square. In his obituaries, Sandby was described as the 'father of modern landscape paineting in watercolor.'   Further Details...

James Peake (James Peak; c. 1729 - 1782) was a British etcher and engraver active in London. He is described as a master of the 'mixed etching and line manner of Thomas Vivares (1735 - 1790).' He is best known for his landscape work.   Further Details...

Thomas Jefferys (1695 - November 20, 1771) was one of the most prominent and prolific map publishers and engravers of his day. Jefferys was born in Birmingham and was apprenticed to the engraver Emmanuel Bowen in 1735. Later, in the 1740s he engraved several maps for the popular periodical Gentleman's Magazine. Around 1740 Jefferys was finally able to go into business for himself and in 1746 received an appointment as 'Geographer to Fredrick, Prince of Wales,' which shortly after translated to the position of 'Royal Cartographer to King George III.' Jefferys initially specialized in compiling and re-engraving the works of earlier cartographers into more coherent cartographic wholes. Later, while not salaried position, Jefferys' appointment as 'Royal Cartographer' guaranteed preferential access to the most up to date cartographic material available, allowing him to produce new and updated charts of exceptional accuracy. He his best known for his maps of the Americas, particularly the posthumously published 1775 American Atlas, which included some of the finest and most important late colonial era maps of America ever made. Despite his prolific publishing history, royal appointments, and international publishing fame, Jefferys lived most of his life in dire economic straits. He was bailed out of bankruptcy by Robert Sayer during the production of the American Atlas. In the end, Jefferys died suddenly with very little to his name. Nonetheless, his cartographic legacy survived, and even after his death in 1771, many of his important maps continued to be published and republished by Sayer and Bennet, Conrad Lotter, Georges Louis Le Rouge, Laurie and Whittle, and others. Many attribute some of Jefferys best maps to the colorful and criminally inclined Irish cartographic genius Braddock Mead (John Green, c. 1688 - 1757), who is considered the 'secret behind Jefferys.' Jefferys was succeeded by his son, also Thomas, who had little success as a cartographer and eventually partnered with, then sold his stock and plates to William Faden - Jefferys' true heir.   Further Details...

Source

Six Remarkable Views in the Provinces of New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, (London: Thomas Jeffrys) 1761.    

Condition

Good. Laid down on Italian stock with decorative borders added via pastedown.

References

Gilborn, Craig, Adirondack Camps: Homes Away from Home, 1850-1950, p. 14, figure 1.