ROLLINSON, William (1762-1842), After John WOOD (Early 19th Century).
New York from Long Island.
Aquatint engraving with original hand color.
New York: Rollinson, 1801.
15 5/8" x 21 1/4" sheet, 27" x 32 1/2" framed.

Fine early Aquatint view of New York City, engraved by William Rollinson.

In this fine view, the artist, John Wood, records the city from the Battery to about Chambers Street as seen across the East River from Long Island. The horizon is punctuated by ships' masts and steeples. In the center of the print, starting on the left, a cluster of three towers -Trinity, First Presbyterian Church, and Federal Hall -is followed by the Middle Dutch Church with its clock tower; the elegant spire of St. Paul's Chapel dwarfs the square tower of the North Dutch Church; the next tall spire is that of the Brick Presbyterian Church; and, on the far right, St. George's Church appears.John Wood was born in Scotland in 1775 and arrived in America around the turn of the nineteenth-century. He was a teacher, author, map maker and bookseller. He produced one other noted view that was not noted by Deak. "Philadelphia from Cooper's-Ferry." Around 1810 he moved to Virginia and was made the official cartographer of the state.