Brueckner, Henry “Washington and his Mother"

Henry Brueckner.  “Washington and his Mother.”  New York: John C. McRae, ca.1860.  Engraving by J. C. McRae.  14 7/8 x 21 3/4.  Repaired tear top margin not affecting image.  Light scuffing in margins.  Else, very good condition.   A sentimental image of George Washington and his mother issued by New York publisher, John C. McRae.  McRae produced large, uncolored engravings of historical scenes in the mid-nineteenth century.  Here he engraved the scene after a painting by Henry Brueckner.  Washington is shown sitting with his mother in a parlor, richly furnished in an anachronistically Victorian style.  Many retrospective historical prints of the mid-nineteenth century were issued as part of the myth-making of American history that was popular at the time.  This print is typical of the type, and it provides not only a visually interesting document, but one that tells us more about the period when it was issued than of the period depicted.