Birch, William "The Theatre in Chesnut[sic]-street Philadelphia."

William Birch. "The Theatre in Chesnut[sic]-street Philadelphia." From The City of Philadelphia.  Philadelphia: William Birch, 1809.  Third Edition.  7 7/8 x 10 ¾ (image).  Engraving. Full hand color. Large margins.  Faint time toning inside plate mark.  Very good condition. The Chestnut Street Theater, located on the north side of Chestnut Street west of Sixth, was designed in the Palladian style after the theatre in Bath, England.  This was the principal playhouse in Philadelphia, offering the best plays and actors, and drawing the most distinguished crowds.  The building was destroyed by fire in 1820, and was shortly replaced by another theatre in 1822 called the New Chestnut Street Theatre. 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 of the work