Search Results: Portraits from Donald Heald Rare Books

1800. Engraving, 5 x 4 inches. Light soiling. A few contemporary ink notations on verso. Engraved portrait of Governor Anne Joseph Hippolyte de Maurès, Comte de Malartic, governor of the island of Mauritius. The portrait is a line-drawing, done in profile and framed in an oval. Flags flank either side of the oval frame and it is captioned beneath. There is some light wear to the tiny imprint information, causing it to be slightly obscured, but it is possible that the illustrator's name is "Girouai" and the engraver may be "Noiret." The engraving is a bit crude and printed on laid paper. It is likely that it was done shortly after Malartic's death in 1800. A most unusual and exotic image, a tribute to the rich culture of printing that flourished on the remote island in the south Indian Ocean.

1870. Steel-faced copper plate with a photogravure of Lincoln: 11 1/2 x 9 inches; image: 8 x 6 inches. Head and torso portrait of Lincoln in 3/4 profile with facsimile signature. This photogravure of Abraham Lincoln is a reversed image of a photograph taken in 1858 by Alexander Hesler, to which a beard and facsimile signatuve have been added. Hesler took several excellent photo portraits of Lincoln in the days before he became President. The prints made from this plate clearly, were produced to meet the demand for portraits after the assassination, (though we have been unable to locate an example of the print). It is in any event, this is a fine memorial portrait of the President, emphasizing his calmness and seriousness.

Haarlem, 1658. Engraving. Printed on laid paper. Collector's mark on verso of sheet. In excellent condition. Image size: 15 3/4 x 11 1/2 inches. This striking engraving comes from a series of portraits executed by Cornelis de Visscher, one of the greatest seventeenth century Dutch engravers. Visscher was born in Haarlem between 1628 and 1629, and remained in the city for his whole life. He studied the art of engraving from Pieter Soutman one of the most celebrated printmakers of the Dutch School. In 1653 he entered the Haarlem guild and earned a reputation as a talented and precise engraver. A prolific printmaker, Visscher published maps and charts as well as decorative plates, but it is for his lovingly etched portraits that he is best remembered. This handsome portrait is a superb example of his considerable skill. Ada's life as the Countess of Holland in the early 13th century exemplifies the challenges faced by women in positions of power throughout history. As the only surviving daughter of… Read More

London: Rudolph Ackermann, 1820. Mezzotint, printed in colours, by G. Maile, after Goubaud 'from a painting by Tintoretto (Upper margin expertly replaced). A charming image based on an original by Tintoretto..

Augsburg: Published in Augsburg by Jeremias Wolff, 1695. Engraving with superb early colour and rich gold highlights. Printed on watermarked laid paper. In excellent condition. Image size: 9 5/8 x 6 3/4 inches. This is a handsome print, with breathtaking early colour, depicting the actor Ange Constantin in costume. Angelo Constantini (d. 1729) was one of the pillars of the commmedia dell'arte in Paris from 1682 until 1697, when Louis XIV closed it down. He was the author of Vie de Scaramouche, 1692, and had a devoted following for his singing and expressive acting. The character he made famous was Mezzetin or Mezzetino, a scheming, clever, flirtatious servant. Constantini later went to Dresden to form an Italian acting troupe under the patronage of Augustus II, King of Poland and Elector of Saxony. Very unwisely, Constantini became involved with Augustus' mistress and was imprisoned for many years. Finally, he released when he was in his sixties, he returned to Paris for some very successful… Read More

London: Published by C. Shepherd, 1775. Mezzotint. A fine impression of this early print of Charles Lee, the famous General of the American Revolution. Public demand for portraits of Revolutionary heroes was not limited to America but spread to English and European print shops, where an inquisitive audience clamored for a glimpse of the key figures of the war. Public interest reached such a frenzy that European printmakers published fictitious portraits before they had accurate likenesses of the sitters and thus, many of the first English and European prints of Revolutionary colonials were completely invented. London publishers, using the names C. Shepherd, Thomas Hart, and John Morris, issued a series of mezzotints of the officers of the American Revolution, none of which were taken from accurate portraits but rather, were constructed on a visual formula and bore no resemblance to the individuals they claimed to be representing. Tomlinson's portrait of General Charles Lee is just such a portrait:… Read More

Augsburg: Published by Martin Engelbrecht, 1745. Engraving with thick early colour with gold highlights. Printed on laid paper. In excellent condition with the exception of some minor foxing in the margins. Image size: 10 1/8 x 7 1/8 inches. An imposing portrait with stunning early colour of the Queen of Poland, Christina Ewartina, by the celebrated Augsburg engraver Martin Engelbrecht. Christiane Eberhardine of Brandenburg-Bayreuth's biography is a remarkable tale of a woman who defied the conventions of her time in 17th and 18th century Europe. As the Electress of Saxony from 1694 to 1727 and Queen Consort of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, she stood out by never once setting foot in Poland during her entire thirty-year Queenship, choosing a self-imposed exile in Saxony instead. Her steadfast refusal to convert to Catholicism, despite her husband and son's conversion, earned her the title "Saxony's pillar of prayer" from her Protestant subjects. Her marriage to Augustus II the Strong was… Read More

1950. Hand-coloured mezzotint, engraved by Charles Stuart. Beautifully printed in the mid-20th century from the original 19th century copper plate, with wide margins, on hand-made paper. A striking and lovely image of a central figure in the mythology of the American West. Davy Crockett (1786-1836) remains the archetype of the early American frontiersman: fighting Indians, guiding settlers, and leading cattle. Though tied to the land that he helped to tame, Crockett was an active volunteer in the War of 1812, serving as a scout for General Jackson's army. Later, he became involved in politics and served in the Tennessee state legislature, 1822-1827. Crockett held a seat in Congress from 1827 until 1835, when he joined the movement for Texan Independence, and met his death in 1836 during the heroic defense of the Alamo. John Gadsby Chapman (1808-1889) had met Crockett in the early 1830s and had painted a portrait study. Crockett's death defending the Alamo in 1836 immediately made him a national… Read More

London, 1751. Mezzotint portrait, by Faber after John Giles Echardt. Image size: 13 x 9 inches. Sheet size: 13 3/4 x 9 1/4 inches. This portrait of Conyers Middleton by Faber shows him in a dark clerical robe and short white wig. John Faber Jr., the son of John Faber, also an engraver, was born in Amsterdam but raised in England, where he learned drawing and mezzotint engraving from his father. He eventually enrolled at St. Martin's Lane Academy and went on to become a prolific and well-respected portrait engraver. He is best remembered for his forty-seven plates of members of the Kit-Cat Club after Kneller and a series of twelve portraits entitled "Beauties of Hampton Court". Conyers Middleton was a theologian, author, and fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge. He was appointed the University Libarian in 1722. He was known as a controversial figure with skeptical tendencies, which culminated in his being sued by Richard Bently, the master of the college, for doubting the historical accuracy of the… Read More

Augsburg: Published by Martin Engelbrecht, 1745. Engraving with thick early colour with gold highlights. Printed on laid paper. In excellent condition with the exception of some minor foxing in the margins. Image size: 9 3/4 x 7 inches. A majestic portrait with stunning early colour of Queen Elisabetha Christina by the celebrated Augsburg engraver Martin Engelbrecht. Martin Engelbrecht was one of the most prolific engravers and printsellers in Augsburg at the close of the 17th century. Along with his brother Christian, Martin dominated the print trade, producing some of the finest prints of his day. His outstanding portraits and landscape studies are beyond compare and his religious and allegorical engravings display a technical aptitude superior to many of his contemporaries. Martin had great success with his optical prints, which were used in perspective boxes. He is best remembered for his equestrian portraits depicting European nobility, and his engravings of Queen Elizabeth and Joseph II are… Read More

1598. Engraved portrait, approximately 4 1/2 x 6 1/4 inches. An excellent, sharp, crisp impression. Fine. In a blue half morocco slipcase. The very rare Crispin van de Passe portrait of Drake. This rare portrait of Drake by Crispin van de Passe comes from an early volume of engraved portraits, Effigies Regum Ac Principum, Eorum Scillicet (Cologne, 1598). Drake, who circumnavigated the globe in 1577-1580, appears under the title "most noble English knight, very experienced in all things nautical and military." "The portrait of Drake is of especial interest: it is a close copy of the smaller Hondius Drake portrait which in its first state exists in only two copies (Royal Geographical Society, and Huntington Library). It depicts him in bust, with a shield, and with a two-hemisphere terrestrial map displaying the track of his circumnavigation" - Kraus. De Passe's stylized monograph appears near the bottom of the portrait. Epigrammatic verses in Latin by Matthias Quad appear beneath the portrait. Kraus,… Read More

Paris, 1583. Engraved portrait, oval with surrounding legend and text beneath, on laid paper (6 7/8 x 4 1/4 inches). Cut to just within platemark and inlaid into later wove paper sheet. Later ink inscription on verso reading "from Holland / 1809." Minor wear and soiling. Very good. A very early engraved portrait of Sir Francis Drake. A clean impression of the second state of this famous portrait of Sir Francis Drake at age forty-three, shortly after he returned from circumnavigating the globe, the basis for most of the later images of him. The image is taken from a portrait purportedly painted from life by Jean Rabel the Elder and is said to be a credible likeness of the famed navigator. The legend beneath the portrait indicates the dates of Drake's circumnavigation, listing Rabel as the painter and Thomas de Leu as the engraver. Thomas de Leu (1560-1612), a pupil of Rabel's, moved to Paris around 1576 and became one of the most noted portrait engravers of his time. This engraving of Drake was the… Read More

Dresden & Leipzig: Published by C. Naumann & Rudolph Weigel, 1843. Lithograph. Printed on chine colle on large wove backing sheet. In excellent condition with the exception of some faint foxing in the margins. Two small tears on right margin of sheet. Faint creases along bottom margin of sheet. A lovely portrait of the celebrated photographer Franz Hanfstengl. Franz Hanfstaengl (1804-1877) was one of the most noted photographers in Europe. In addition to his celebrated photographs, Hanfstaengl was also a gifted lithographer and produced a wealth of excellent portraits of some of the most noted figures of the day. He worked primarily in Munich but executed likenesses of celebrities across Europe and England.

Augsburg: Published by Martin Engelbrecht, 1745. Engraving with thick early colour with gold highlights. Printed on laid paper. In excellent condition with the exception of some minor foxing in the margins. Image size: 10 1/8 x 7 1/8 inches. A lovely portrait, with stunning early colour, of Frederick I, King of Sweden, by the celebrated Augsburg engraver Martin Engelbrecht. Frederick of Hesse married Ulrica Eleonora of Sweden in 1715. When her brother, Charles XII, died in 1718, she became Queen. In 1720, she resigned in favor of her husband, who became Frederick I of Sweden. He depicted in armour with a vast red, ermine cape figured in gold. Martin Engelbrecht was one of the most prolific engravers and printsellers in Augsburg at the close of the 17th century. Along with his brother Christian, Martin dominated the print trade, producing some of the finest prints of his day. His outstanding portraits and landscape studies are beyond compare and his religious and allegorical engravings display a… Read More

New York: M. B. Brady, F. d'Avignon, C. Edwards Lester, 1850. Folio. (21 x 15 inches). Letterpress title and salutation leaf. 12 lithograph portraits on india paper, mounted as issued, by d'Avignon after daguerreotypes by Brady (11) and a painting by S[piridione] Gambardella (1). Each plate with the publisher's blindstamp in the lower margin. Expertly bound to style in black half morocco and period cloth boards, yellow endpapers Rare early American photographic work, including portraits of John James Audubon and President Taylor from daguerreotypes by Mathew Brady, the most famous American photographer of the mid-19th century. A fine copy without the foxing usually found. The series is made up of twelve portraits, all but one from Brady's daguerreotypes, accompanied by biographical descriptions. It was intended as a celebration of the United States during the first half of the nineteenth century through the "noble deeds" of its most famous citizens. "In this Gallery, therefore, will be grouped… Read More

London: Published by Colnaghi, 1824. Mezzotint. Proof before letters. Alternate state i/ii, before letters. In excellent condition apart from some light foxing in the margins. Image size: 11 3/4 x 9 7/8 inches. A lovely rich impression of S.W Reynolds' mezzotint portrait of General George Harris, who was wounded in the Battle of Bunker Hill. Lord Harris (1746- 1829), a distinguished British General, participated in most of the major engagements during the American revolution and made a name for himself in India with the defeat of Tippo Sahib and the capture of Seringapatam. Harris fought in Lexington and at the battle of Bunkers Hill, where he received a serious wound to the head. When he returned to active duty in 1776 he was present at every major engagement of the revolution until he left for St. Lucia in 1778. In 1780, Harris was sent to India where he participated in the war against Tippo Sahib, eventually being appointed commandant of Fort William. A valiant soldier and excellent leader,… Read More

London: Published by Thos. Palser at his Print Warehouse, Lambeth, 1815. Engraving. Printed on wove paper. In good condition with the exception of a light circular stain across the image, hardly noticeable. Image has been printed off center on the sheet so that the top left corner of the platemark was printed off the edge of the sheet. Image size: 9 9/16 x 7 ¼ inches. A handsome portrait of George Wilson, the famous long distance walker. George Wilson was known as the Blackheath Pedestrian and became one of the most notorious and best-known long distance walkers in England. He began his life working in his mother's pawnshop, but soon entered into a career as a tax collector. He greatly enjoyed his job since it allowed him to indulge his passion for walking. George would typically walk 50-60 miles a day, and once, for a dare, walked from London to Newcastle in just four days. His penchant for walking soon became legendary and he left his job and went to work for a publisher who was compiling "An… Read More

1804. Etching with aquatint. Printed on wove paper, watermarked 1804. In excellent condition. Image size: 7 3/4 x 6 inches. A fascinating novelty portrait of Governor Hill. This quirky little portrait is an intriguing example of separately published novelty prints produced in England at the beginning of the nineteenth century. Obscure printed portraits of unusual figures or local celebrities became popular at this period, appearing in print shops throughout the countryside. Unlike traditional portraiture, which was the product of a specific commission, these novelty prints recorded the likeness of a specific person who achieved local notoriety. From depicting professional walkers and sportsmen to local hermits and showmen, these intriguing prints reveal a host of curious characters, which would be forever lost to history. This sweet portrait of Governor Hill is a wonderful example of this genre of popular English portraiture. O'Donoghue, Catalogue of Engraved British Portraits... in the British Museum 1.

London: W. Say, 92 Norton Street, Marylebone, 1808. Mezzotint. In excellent condition with the exception of a skillfully mended tear on the left margin extending into the image. Image size: 26 1/4 x 17 7/16 inches. An impressive portrait of His Royal Highness, Edward the Duke of Kent, at the defense of Gibraltar. Edward Augustus was the fourth son of George III and Queen Charlotte; he spent his early years in Switzerland where he received a strict education from the Baron Wagenheim. Throughout his life he took an active role in the army, joining Lord Grey's forces in the West Indies and taking part in the reduction of St. Lucia. In the political sphere, he spoke adamantly for Catholic emancipation and the abolishment of the slave trade. Edward was an active Freemason who was viewed as an intricate force in the development of Freemasonry in England. By resolving the ideological differences between the "Ancients" and the "Moderns", he succeeded in forming the United Grand Lodge of England, and thus… Read More

London: Published by John Jeffryes, Ludgate Hill, 1795. Stipple engraving. Faint collectors stamp on verso of sheet. In pristine condition. This portrait of George IV, is one of the most celebrated eighteenth century archery prints. The latter half of the eighteenth century witnessed the emergence of numerous clubs and societies, which the English gentry were keen to join. The Society of Royal Kentish Bowmen, under the patronage of the Prince of Wales, later King George IV, is a perfect example of this burgeoning 18th century trend for exclusive sporting clubs. The Prince of Wales insisted that every member of the Society should wear a 'dandyish' uniform comprising of a grass green coat with a white waistcoat and breeches. In Russell's charming portrait, the Prince Regent is shown in the Bowman's uniform, in the background are the other members of the society participating in a shooting match. Russell's portrait not only identifies the Prince as an avid archer, but cleverly connects his person with… Read More