Birch, William Russell “Frontispiece. The City & Port of Philadelphia, on the River Delaware from Kensington”

William Russell Birch.  “Frontispiece.  The City & Port of Philadelphia, on the River Delaware from Kensington.”  From The City of Philadelphia.  Philadelphia: William Birch, 1800 - [1804].  First or second edition.  Credit reads, “Published as the Act directs by W. Birch, Springland Cot, near Bristol.  1800.” 9 x 11 ½ (image).  Engraving on laid paper. Full hand color. Print mounted to one ply archival backing board.  Else, very good condition.  A/A When issued in 1800, William Birch’s prints of Philadelphia formed the first series of views of any American city.  As the first comprehensive picture of an American city, illustrating its buildings and street life, this work is of great historical importance.  The superior quality is evidenced in its scope of conception, the artistic excellence of the prints, and their fine execution.  The prints provide a unique visual record of Philadelphia at a time when it was the most important and sophisticated city in the western hemisphere, a