Set of six (6) engravings from "The Life of Washington" by Mason Locke Weems.
This is an early American book with a set of six unbound loose copper engravings identified as being from the 1815 edition of the work, The Life of Washington, by Mason Locke Weems. The book was first published in 1800 and was the author's most famous and frequently published work. It remained a 19th century bestseller and portrayed Washington's virtues, educational instruction, and inspirational anecdotes for the children of the young republic. As an early American biographer, Weems sought to instill a sense of national identity in a new country. The volume has remained in print until the present day and remains the source for some of the most enduring if apocryphal stories about the nation's first president.
The copper engravings herein are: Death of General Montgomery, P. 40; Death of General Braddock, P.71; Battle of Lexington, P. 76; Battle of Bunker Hill and the Death of General Warren, P. 104 ; Capture of Major Andre, P. 114, Surrender of Cornwallis.
Some of these illustrations contain flag images and of particular interest is the line image of an American flag on P. 114 depicting a 13-star United States flag with the stars arranged in horizontal rows of 5-3-5. What is particularly interesting is that the center star of the middle stripe is noticeably larger than the others. This is significant because it clearly establishes the date for the the motif of a larger center star to the early 19th century and possibly in the Revolutionary period.
Provenance: Acquired through purchase, rare book dealer, Santa Fe, New Mexico
ZFC Significant Flag
Sources:
Mason Locke Weems, Wikipedia, 19 November 2011, from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parson_Weems
Parson Weems, Answers, 19 November 2011, from:
http://www.answers.com/topic/parson-weems
Image Credits:
Zaricor Flag Collection
