1761 Sanby / Pownall View of Cohoes Falls, New York

One of the Great Natural Wonders of the American Colonies.

This is Thomas Pownall and Paul Sandby's portrayal of the Cohoes Falls on the Mohawk River in New York that appeared in the 1761 Six Remarkable Views in the Provinces of New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania (later Scenographia Americana), published in London. The falls were one of the great natural wonders of Britain's American colonies and, in the following decades, played an important role in the development of the Erie Canal and early industry in Upstate New York.

A Closer Look

The view looks towards the northwest and, like Pownall and Sandby's other views in Six Remarkable Views, includes human and animal figures to give a sense of scale. In the mid-late 18th century, Cohoes Falls was celebrated as second only to Niagara Falls in the colony / state of New York and was a common stop for visiting travelers and grandees like Pownall. The obstacles posed by the falls were a major impetus for the construction of the Erie Canal in the early 19th century. Soon after the completion of the canal, a large dam was built one and a half miles upstream from the falls to harness their power for textile production and, later, hydroelectricity.

'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), later 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). 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...

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. Foxing.

References

OCLC 60575508, 863171826, 1455565944.