Birch, William Russell "The Water Works in Centre Square Philadelphia"

William Russell Birch. "The Water Works, in Centre Square Philadelphia". Drawn, Engraved & Published by W. Birch & Son Neshaminy Ferry. From The City of Philadelphia, in the State of Pennsylvania North America. Philadelphia, 1798-1800. Ca. 11 x 13 3/8. First Edition. Engraving. Laid paper. Margins trimmed to plate mark. Bottom right corner of margin expertly filled. Two very small losses of image in trees right hand side. Partial hand color.  Good condition. When issued in 1800, William Birch's prints of Philadelphia collectively formed the first series of views of any American city, and as such they are of great historical importance. The superior quality of the work is evidenced in the scope of its 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 cosmopolitan city in the Western Hemisphere, and for a time was the capital of the newly formed United