William Penn's Treaty with the Indians
Engraving After a Painting by Benjamin West

This item is sold.  It has been placed here in our online archives as a service for researchers and collectors.

William Penn's Treaty with the Indians when he founded the Province of Pennsylvania in North America in 1681
Benjamin West (1738-1820) (after)
Robert Delaunay (1749-1814) (engraver)
Guillaume Penn Traite Avec Les Indiens Etablisant la Province de Pensilvanie dans L'Amerique Septentrionale en 1681
[William Penn's Treaty with the Indians when he founded the Province of Pennsylvania in North America in 1681]
frontispiece from Atlas Ameriquain Septentrionale [North American Atlas]
Paris: Late 18th Century
Hand-colored engraving
16.5 x 11.5 inches, image
18.5 x 12.5 inches, overall
Sold, please inquire as to the availability of similar items.

Print commemorating the treaty between William Penn and his delegation and a Native American tribe in 1682 (Penn was granted a charter to establish the colony by the king of England in 1681, but did not actually arrive in North America until the following year). It is based on a painting commissioned from artist Benjamin West by Penn's son Thomas Penn in 1771, and is now in the collection of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia. West took artistic license by incorporating symbols of a promising future: imposing buildings are being constructed in the background, Penn's retinue trades goods with the tribe, and a Native American woman breastfeeds her baby, probably intended as an allegory of peace and plenty. Within a few years, the painting was made into a popular edition of prints in London, engraved by John Hall. In France, Robert Delaunay produced his own version as the frontispiece to his Atlas Ameriquain Septentrionale. Delaunay changed the proportions of the image to fit the book's format. The story of the circumstances surrounding the creation of the West painting and subsequent prints is told on the State Museum of Pennsylvania web site.

Benjamin West was the first American artist to receive international recognition and influence artistic trends in Europe. He was born in Pennsylvania and studied art in Philadelphia. There he met a sponsor who sent him to Italy to study classical art. He settled in London in 1763, making his reputation as a history painter, and receiving the prestigious appointment of historical painter to the court by King George III in 1772. Twenty years later he became president of the Royal Academy of Arts.

Robert Delaunay was a French printmaker.

Reference:

"The William Penn Treaty: Creating an Image of Peace." The State Museum of Pennsylvania. http://www.statemuseumpa.org/Potamkin/creating/index.htm (19 December 2002).

"Benjamin West." The Grove Dictionary of Art. New York: Macmillan. 2000. Online at Artnet.com. http://www.artnet.com/library/09/0912/T091222.asp (19 December 2002).