American Book-Plates. Allen Charles Dexter

The scrolls under the name are somewhat in the manner of Hurd. The heraldic drawing is poor, and the bunch of arrows between the shield and the crest must be in allusion to the occupation of the owner, who was a missionary to the Indians.

      There is said to be a plate by Furnass owned in Boston, by the name of Foster, but no definite knowledge of it has been obtained.

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      E. Gallaudet, who signed the plate for the New York Society Library and the plate of John Chambers, was one Elisha Gallaudet, who practised his art in New York City towards the end of the last century.

      Edward Gallaudet, a relative of the above, was superior to him as an engraver, and the Gallaudet plate mentioned in the List is by him. He was of the present century.

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      Abraham Godwin was born in New Jersey in 1763. He was intended for the profession of the law, and was placed in the office of his brother, at Fishkill, in New York state. Both men joined the army, however; and when Abraham returned to his home, it was to take up the art of engraving, towards which he had had an inclination from boyhood, when he made his first attempts on the silver plate of his friends, with a graver made by a blacksmith.

      The only example of his book-plate work is a plate fully described under the heading, “Unidentified,” in the List. Most unfortunately, the only example known has the family name torn out. The first name is John. The plate is rather rudely engraved, but is quite ambitious, showing the interior of a large room, which might be either a school-room or a library.

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      S. Harris, who engraved the pictorial plates of Henry Andrews and the anonymous Williams, was a New England engraver, who was in Boston about 1798.

      Charles P. Harrison, who signed the plain armorial book-plates of William Betts and David Paul Brown, was a son of William Harrison, an English engraver, who came to New York in 1794, and was for a time an instructor of Peter Maverick the second.

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      Samuel Hill was a copper-plate engraver in Boston, about 1790, and his work consisted mostly of portraits and book work.

      The following are examples of his work: —

      Also the plate of Saml. Hill, which is of a literary flavor, is probably the engraver’s own plate.

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      S. S. Jocelyn, of New Haven, who made a very handsome plate for the Brothers in Unity of Yale College, became an engraver of vignettes for bank-notes.

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      Thomas Johnson was born in Boston in 1708. He was buried in King’s Chapel Burying-ground, May 8, 1767. He engraved Psalm Tune plates

      for the Tate and Brady edition of 1760, and did some commendable work as a herald painter. In the inventory of his estate, fifteen copper plates are appraised at 40s.

      Only one specimen of his book-plate work is authenticated, and that is the Joseph Tyler, which is signed in full, —Johnson.

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      Thomas Johnston signs the very beautiful Jacobean plate of William P. Smith, A.M., and the rougher Chippendale of Samuel Willis. Whether this is the same engraver as the above is uncertain; the difference in the spelling of the name would not disprove the claim, as in those days such differences were frequent. The Willis plate bears strong resemblance to the work and designs of Hurd. If this is the same engraver as the above, these two plates are likely to be the earliest signed plates by an American, as Johnson was born some twenty years before Hurd. The Willis plate is quite inferior to the Smith, which latter is a striking example of the Jacobean style.

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      Francis Kearney, who signs the plate of Henry McMurtrie and Hector Coffin, was born in 1780. He was a pupil of Peter R. Maverick, who received two hundred and fifty dollars for instructing him for three years. The advantage was all with Maverick. Soon after the opening of the century, he was engaged with Anderson, the younger Maverick, Boyd, and others, in engraving plates for a quarto Bible published by Mr. Collins, of New York.

      In 1810 he removed to Philadelphia, as that city was far ahead of New York in the publishing of books, etc. He was in that city for over twenty years. His greatest work is the engraving of Leonardo da Vinci’s picture of the “Last Supper.”

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      Peter Rushton Maverick was born in England, April 11, 1755, and came to America about 1774. He was originally a silversmith, and came of a family whose members were for several generations well known as engravers, and who made the art their occupation. He was an energetic worker, getting most of his practical knowledge by his own endeavors. He was the teacher of William Dunlap and of Francis Kearney, as well as of his own son, who ultimately became a more proficient engraver than his father, and, who after instructing A. B. Durand for five years, took him into partnership.

      Peter R. Maverick died in New York, about 1807, and his son Peter whose partnership with Durand resulted disastrously, died in 1831.

      As a designer and engraver of book-plates, Maverick was the most prolific of all the early engravers. It is presumed that all the plates signed either P. R. Maverick, or simply Maverick, were by the same hand, as a large collection of

      Weigh well each thought, each sentence freely scan,

      In Reason’s balance try the works of man:

      Be bias’d not by those who praise or blame.

      Nor, Servile, Yield opinion to a Name.

      proofs from his plates which furnishes examples of both ways of signing is now in the possession of the New York Historical Society, and the librarian informs me that all of the plates in that collection were done in 1789 by the elder Maverick. This collection consists of sixty-five plates, of which thirty-eight different ones are signed by Maverick. There are also others which are undoubtedly his work, although not signed, and there are examples by Dawkins, Hutt, and Child. Quite a number of the plates are duplicated, too. This very interesting collection of proofs, kept by Maverick himself, and sewed together roughly, was in the library of his friend, John Allan. By far the greater part of Maverick’s plates are of the Ribbon and Wreath style, but he made a few Jacobeans, a few Chippendales, and one or two pictorial and allegorical designs. He used the same features over and over in his plates, and seems to have been a rapid worker. The plates in the following list marked * are by the younger Maverick.