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PAUL REVERE AND HIS ENGRAVING

By William Loring Andrews

ILLUSTRATIONS REPRODUCED FROM ENGRAVINGS BY PAUL REVERE

NE of the most interesting and romantic characters of the dark days in our history "which tried men's souls" is that of the patriot, soldier, silver-smith, copper-plate engraver, brass-founder and confidential agent of the State of Massachusetts Bay, the "Mercury of the Revolution," Colonel Paul Revere. He was a man of action, who, in his time, played many parts, and in all his various undertakings achieved success. In the words of one of his biographers, " He prospered, accumulated, by a long life of industry

After the peace Revere erected an air-furnace in which he cast cannon and church-bells, and the latter are still pealing forth their melodious notes upon the New England air. The business card of Paul Revere & Sons, as casters of

bells and brass cannon, will be found reproduced in E. H. Goss's "Life of Revere," vol. ii., p. 556.

VOL. XXX.-36

and economy, a competency in the way of property, and educated a large family of children who venerated the memory of such a father."

It

Revere (or Rivoire, as the name was written by his ancestors, in France) was of Huguenot descent and was born in Boston, where he died in May, 1818, at the age of eighty-three. He was his father's eldest son, and was brought up to the paternal trade of gold- and silver-smith. is said that he engraved not only the graceful designs we find upon the silver-plate which bears the coveted mark of P. REVERE (or simply REVERE), but also the wreaths, medallions, and festoons, which decorate many of the cups, spoons, tank

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Fac-simile of Frontispiece to "The New England Psalm Singer or American Chorister" (1770).
(Engraved by Paul Revere.)

This portrait, it is affirmed, was prefixed to one of the Doctor's printed sermons, but I have been unable to verify this statement by ocular proof. The New York Historical Society possesses a number of Dr. Mayhew's sermons in the original editions, but none of them contains this alleged portrait, and Mr. Sidney L. Smith, of Boston, whom I look upon as an authority on Paul Revere and his work, writes me that he can discover no trace of it, so that I have grown sceptical in regard to its existence and a little weary in the

riety of subjects-music-books embellished
with quaint frontispieces, caricatures, alle-
gorical pieces, certificate, and billheads,
book illustrations and Continental paper
money. When the province of Massa-
chusetts adopted a paper currency Revere
not only engraved the plates, but he made
the press and printed the notes; and they
are more creditable examples of the en-
graver's art than are the 234 × 33% inch
Continental notes (" it was death to coun-
terfeit") which D. Hall (Dr. Franklin's
old business associate) and W. Sellers sup-

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Massachusetts State Treasurer's Note, Border Engraved by Paul Revere.

plied to the Assembly of Pennsylvania as
well as Revere's native State at a later
period. By the year 1780 Hall and Sel-
lers appear to have become the Congres-
sional printers, and were printing most of
the paper money of the several United
Colonies. The border of the Massachu-
setts State Treasurer's note, which is here
reproduced, dated
the first day of Jan-
uary, A.D. 1780,
was, however, en-
graved by Revere;
it was also paya-
ble to and is en-
dorsed on the back
by him.

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no other of war's alarms appear to have disturbed the even tenor of his life until the seven years' conflict between Great Britain and her Colonies foreshadowed its approach. Revere was one of those who planned the destruction of the tea in Boston Harbor, and after the British evacuation he became a lieutenant-colonel

in a regiment of artillery raised for the defence of his native State. He was one of the "Thirty Northend Mechanics" who, during the winter of 1775, patrolled the streets of the "distressed town

of Boston," to watch the movements of the British forces; and history has recorded how faithfully they kept their vigil.

The story of the midnight ride of Paul Revere from Boston to the "Bridge at Concord Town" has become, through Longfellow's lines, as familiar to his

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countrymen as a household word; but his long life as good citizen and artisan is less well known, and it may interest some to learn what examples we have remaining of his handiwork.

The silverware of Paul Revere is of excellent workmanship and chaste in form, evidently modelled after English eighteenth century designs, and the pieces. of plate manufactured by him, and now so eagerly sought for by collectors, are good examples of the style at present so greatly in favor, which we have agreed to call Colonial. The simple classical forms adopted by our struggling artisans at a period when art in this country was still in its "bib and tucker," strangely enough have never been improved upon by their successors; and by reverting to them in these latter days, our silver-smiths, as well

as our cabinet-makers are displaying good sense as well as taste; but in this mechanical age they stamp or saw out their patterns in unlimited quantities by machinery, and do not, as of yore, hammer or carve them laboriously, piece by piece, by hand, and therein lies a distinction and a difference.

They appear to have had a peculiar fondness for caricature and allegory on both sides of the Atlantic in Revolutionary days, and the stormy times that immediately preceded them. The London Magazine, 1774-75, contains a number of these grotesque and generally coarse conceits, several of which, inspired by the state of political affairs in this country, were copied by Revere for the Royal American Magazine, Boston, 1774-75. The caricature we reproduce above, "A Pict

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uresque View of the State of Great Britain for 1780," as a characteristic example of these satirical compositions, was copied from a much larger French print by an American engraver, possibly by Revere.

66

In 1765 Revere designed and engraved an allegorical picture emblematical of the disturbed condition of affairs in America, consequent upon the imposition of the Stamp Act, and in commemoration of the repeal of this obnoxious law, he engraved the following year another plate, A View of the Obelisk Erected under the Liberty Tree in Boston on the Rejoicings for the Repeal of the Stamp Act, 1766." Revere's celebrated caricature of the Seventeen Rescinders appeared in 1768, and in 1770 he published one of his most important engravings, the view of Boston with a ribbon inscription running entirely across the top of the plate, bearing the legend "A View of part of the Town of

Boston in New England and British Ships of War landing their troops, 1768,"* and the following lettering at the foot.

In the right-hand lower corner, within an ornamental border, this dedication :

"To the Earl of Hillsborough, His Majesty's Secretary of State for America. This view of the only well Plan'd Expedition formed for supporting ye dignity of Britain and chaftifing ye insolence of America is humb'y inscribed."

At the foot is the following key and explanation:

I Beaver
5 Mermaid
2 Senegal 6 Romney
3 Martin 7 Launceton
4 Glasgow 8 Bonetta

A Long Wharf
B Hancock's Wharf
C North Battery

"On friday, Sept. 30th, 1768, the Ships of War, armed Schooners, Transports,

"The Boston Evacuation Memorial," Boston, 1876, has at page 18 a heliotype reproduction of this print on a reduced scale.

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