Colonial America
Three Colonial Woodblock Astronomical Printing Plates by Bartholomew Green and John Allen of Boston
c. 1703-1759 Colonial Era, Hand-Engraved Woodblock Printing Plates of Astronomical Images by Colonial Printers, including a Three-Phase Eclipse by Bartholomew Green, Lot of 3, Choice Very Fine.
This exceptional group of three colonial American Hand-Engraved Woodblock Printing Plates features the image of a nicely detailed, three-phase eclipse by Bartholomew Green and John Allen of Boston, around 1703. These three rare Woodblocks include:

1. The plate depicts a human-faced moon in three positions, moving across a cross-haired, darkened orb with a concentric ring, and the initial “B” indicating the center position. According to Elizabeth Reilly’s “Colonial American Printers’ Ornaments & Illustrations” (1975), woodblocks like this one were used to create illustrations for colonial almanacs. This image is similar to that reproduced in her book as image #1853, p. 461. The original print is located at the American Antiquarian Society, Worcester. The woodblock is 1.75” x 2.25”, 1” thick, with a very clean surface, but with some age cracks.

2. The second woodblock in this group measures 1.2” x 1.2”, 1” thick, and features a banded celestial orb, with a thick crescent at the bottom, it has a slight age crack, and dark surface patina. It is similar to an image reproduced in Reilly #1945, p. 477, but without the writing. and was created by Andrew & William Bradford, of Philadelphia between 1723-24.

3. The third woodblock features a circle subtended by two lines and plot points identifying three positions of planets. Produced by John Kneeland and Seth Adams of Boston, 1759, as indicated in Reilly #1894, p. 470. An original print is located at the American Antiquarian Society, Worcester. The woodblock measures approximately 3/4” x 3/4” x 3/4”, with dark surface patina.

Ex-Sotheby’s Sale 7683, June 26, 2001. (3 items)
Bartholomew Green (1666–1732) was the son of Samuel Green. He inherited his father's press in Cambridge in 1692 and moved it to Boston. He had the patronage of the government and of Harvard and became the foremost printer in New England. Except for four years Green printed the Boston News-Letter, the first American newspaper, from its inception in 1704 until his death. In 1722 he became its publisher also.

Andrew Bradford (1686-1742) was one of the sons of William Bradford, (1663–1752), a British pioneer printer in the American colonies who emigrated to Philadelphia and set up the first press in 1685.