Raoul Varin (1865-1943) (engraver)
Chicago in 1871 – The Great Fire at the Junction of the North and South Branches of the Chicago River
A. Ackermann & Son Inc., Chicago: October 1928
Hand-colored limited edition aquatint
Signed pencil lower right “R Varin” and numbered lower left “29/100”
8.25 x 12.5 inches, image
10.25 x 13 inches, plate
13 x 15.5 inches, overall
Sold, please inquire about availability of similar items.
Chicago Fire of 1871
Aquatint engraving By Raoul Varin: 1928
Aquatint engraving By Raoul Varin: 1928
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View of Chicago during the Great Fire as seen at the junction of the north and south branches of the Chicago River. Flames shoot from windows and burn floating debris in the water. Firemen with a horse-drawn cart rush to the scene as citizens hurry away with their belongings. The sky is filled with dark, drifting smoke.
The Chicago fire began about 9:00 p.m. on Sunday, October 8, 1871, reached the business district by 1:30 a.m. and quickly spread northward across the main river. The fire continued burning on Monday until rain helped extinguish the last of it around midnight. 300 people died, 90,000 were left homeless, and property loss amounted to $200 million.
Raoul Varin was a French engraver who exhibited in the Salon of French Artists and received an honorable mention in 1892. He engraved a variety of signed, limited edition numbered prints, principally New York City and Chicago views, in the 1920s and 1930s. They were published by A. Ackermann & Son, a British publisher, with offices in Paris, Chicago and New York. His views took a historical perspective, generally showing the cities in the 19th century, often based on extant classic works. Some of Varin’s Chicago prints were historical views based on 19th century illustrations that had been published in France by Jevne and Almini. He did many Chicago scenes such as this one of the Chicago Fire, dated 1928, as well as Randolph Street Chicago From Clark to State Streets in the Year 1865 (Ackermann, Chicago: 1927), and A Bird’s-Eye View of Lake Shore Drive Chicago 1889 from the top of the Water Tower (Ackermann, Chicago: 1932). A large collection of his Chicago views are in the collection of the Chicago Historical Society. In 1930, Varin did a pair of views New York from the North River 1839 and New York from the East River 1843, based on the original engravings by Robert Havell, Jr. (1793-1878). He also engraved St. Paul’s Church Broadway New York 1831 (Ackerman, New York: 1931), numerous views of Wall Street, etc.
References:
“1850-1871.” Chicagology.com. 2003. http://www.chicagology.com/ChicagoPreFire.htm (30 April 2005).
“1871: The Great Fire.” Chicago Public Library Chicago Timeline. August 1997. http://www.chipublib.org/004chicago/timeline/greatfire.html (9 April 2004).
Bénézit, E. Dictionnaire critique et documentaire des Peintres, Sculpteurs, Dessinateurs et Graveurs. France: Librairie Gründ, 1966. Vol. 8, p. 477.
“Prints & Photograph Collection.” Chicago Historical Society. http://www.chicagohs.org/collections/prints_collection.html (30 April 2005).