[Paul Revere Masthead]. Boston Gazette. And Country Journal. Watertown, [Massachusetts]; December 11, 1775. Printed by Benjamin Edes. Number 1073. Four pages of a bifolium, 10" x 15.25". Unpaginated and printed in three columns. Paul Revere masthead, releasing the dove of peace. This newspaper features a beautiful masthead from the hand of noted silversmith, engraver, and American Patriot, Paul Revere, first used January 1, 1770. The masthead reads "The Boston-Gazette and Country Journal", divided by an illustration of a woman seated adjacent to a large tree, with a laurel wreath on her brow, a liberty pole with a cap at her side, and the shield of Britain at her feet; she is depicted opening the door to a birdcage and releasing a dove with a town visible in the distance. Beneath the image the text reads "Containing the freshest Advices, Foreign and Domestic" followed by the date. While Paul Revere is best remembered for his "midnight ride" of April 18-19, 1775, immortalized in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem, he was an engraver and silversmith by trade. "Although frequently termed woodcuts, the cuts for eighteenth-century newspapers, almanacs, pamphlets, and broadsides were almost invariably engraved on type-metal, which was an alloy of lead, antimony, and tin. Revere undoubtedly made his own metal cuts by combining the proper proportions of lead, antimony, and other compounds, so that the result would take cutting and not be too brittle," (Brigham). A beautiful example of a Colonial era newspaper, featuring one of Revere's iconic mastheads alongside news and opinions on growing conflicts between the British and Colonial Americans. Reference: American Antiquarian Society, Illustrated Inventory of Paul Revere's Works. Brigham Plate 67. Condition: Rough edges with minor chipping to edges, not affecting text. Stab holes from prior stitch binding in the left margin. Offsetting. Creased along folds with minor paper loss at intersections just affecting text. Light scattered soiling. Ink ownership to page [1]. Text somewhat rubbed. HID03101062020 © 2022 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved

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