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History, Military, Army of the United States, Uniforms, Folio of Antique Prints, c. 1889

$1,350

Henry Loomis Nelson (1846-1908) (author)
H.A. (Henry Alexander) Ogden (1856-1936) (after)
The Army of The United States
B.M. Whitlock, New York: c. 1889
G.H. Buek & Co. (lithographer)
44 chromolithograph plates and accompanying text
13 x 11.5 inches, approximate image size
Quarter red leather morocco and cloth with leather fore-edges
First limited edition, number 524 of 1500
$1,350

Illustrated book, with accompanying text, of American Army officers and soldiers from the American Revolution to the turn of the 20th century in complete regalia. The men are shown in naturalistic settings with weapons, horses, and other paraphernalia. Each plate is rendered with attention to historical accuracy and meticulous detail, some including famous military figures such as Lafayette and General Ulysses S. Grant. This book has been called “the outstanding American Work on the subject” and Ogden “the ultimate artist authority on this subject.” Its value as a reference is attested to by its later reissues in 1959 and most recently in 1998 by Dover Books.

Product description continues below.

Description

Henry Alexander Ogden was an historical genre painter and illustrator especially known for his depictions of American colonial life and military history. Born in Philadelphia, he studied at the National Academy of Design and the Art Students League in New York, and spent the rest of his career there. He was commissioned by the Quarter-Master General’s Department of the U.S. Army to paint a collection of uniforms from 1775 to 1906, and illustrated army uniforms for a numbre of colorplate books. Ogden became a member of the Society of Illustrators in 1911. His works are in the collections of the New York Historical Society and the Fraunces Tavern Museum, a historic site in New York City.

Henry Loomis Nelson was a journalist specializing in history and politics. He was a frequent contributor to Harper’s New Monthly Magazine in the 1890s.

Condition: Covers a bit worn, with some abrasions to leather. Internally fairly clean, plates bright and attractive with only minor occasional toning, handling, soiling, wear. Ex Library with pastedown label on inside front cover.

References:

Bennett, Whitman. A Practical Guide to American Colorplate Books. 1949. Reprint ed. New Castle, Delaware: Oak Knoll Press, 1980. p. 85.

Fielding, Mantle. Dictionary of American Painters, Sculptors and Engravers. Green Farms, Connecticut: Modern Books and Crafts, 1926, rev. ed. 1974. p. 263.

“Henry Alexander Ogden.” Askart.com. 2000-2010. http://www.askart.com/askart/artist.aspx?artist=4372 (18 August 2010).

Ogden, H.A. Uniforms of the United States Army, 1774-1889, in Full Color. Dover Publications, 1998.