SECOND PHILADELPHIA MINT IMAGE ORIGIN FOUND
The E-Sylum (1/10/2021)
Book Content
SECOND PHILADELPHIA MINT IMAGE ORIGIN FOUND
Readers have new responses on the image of the Second Philadelphia Mint that Pete Smith discovered. Thanks! -Editor
LEFT: Second U.S. Mint; RIGHT: 7th Presbyterian Church
Ross Johnson of New Hope, PA writes:
"While I can't identify the source of the above image in question, a quick search on the internet revealed the following similar view. Please note that in this alternative 1881 image by BenjaminEvans, the Mint building at left has the requisite six column facade. Perhaps the undocumented image reflects some artistic license on the part of the artist? The Mint, after all, was not the focusof either drawing. Then again, in the Evans drawing apparently there are four columns of windows on the left face of the church, vs. five on the unattributed view?! Obviously these are two views ofthe same location, but these differences are challenging to interpret. Did the artists draw what they saw?...or is this evidence of nineteenth century "photoshopping"?"
Benjamin R. Evans. Southeast corner of Broad Street and South Penn Square, 1881. Pen-and-ink and watercolor on paper.
Ross adds:
"... the Mint ... appears in this 1881 Evans watercolor of the Seventh Presbyterian Church, known as Rev. Lord's Church, located below Southeast Penn Square..."
To read the complete article, see:
Philadelphia in Watercolor (http://librarycompany.org/mirrorofacity/section8.htm)
Len Augsburger writes:
"The second Mint image was drawn by Frank H. Taylor, who did a whole series of Philadelphia street scenes c. 1900. There is a large (complete?) collection of these in the Free Library ofPhiladelphia. I don't believe they were published at the time of creation but were available on a subscription basis. See Secret History for more on Taylor."
Pete's question was fueled by his discovery of the two images at the Free Library of Philadelphia. Now we know the artist. Len referenced The Secret History of the First U. S. Mint. , thebook he co-authored in 2011 with Joel Orosz. -Editor
To read the earlier E-Sylum articles, see:
QUERY: SECOND PHILADELPHIA MINT IMAGE ORIGIN (https://www.coinbooks.org/v23/esylum_v23n50a13.html)
SECOND PHILADELPHIA MINT IMAGE QUESTION (https://www.coinbooks.org/v24/esylum_v24n01a09.html)
