"The Very Best American Battle Scenes in Existence" - Bennett.
One of the greatest American colorplate books and by far the most important single visual work relating to the Mexican-American War. Kendall was a proponent of the offensive war against Mexico, and as a true war correspondent, he joined the Texas Rangers soon after hostilities broke out, later joining Gen. Scott's expedition. The fine hand-colored lithographs are keyed to a text section which gives an extensive account of each battle.
The plates are the work of French artist Carl Nebel.
The work was originally issued in three formats: paper covers at $34; in "elegant portfolio," at $38; and bound in half leather, $40.
The full-sheet lithograph map is bound in with the text section: Map of the Operations of the American Army in the Valley of Mexico in August and September 1847.
According to the text:
Of the twelve illustrations accompanying [the] work... the greater number were drawn on the spot by the artist. So far as regards the general configuration of the ground, fidelity of the landscape, and correctness of the works and buildings introduced, they may be strictly relied upon. Every reader must be aware of the impossibility, in painting a battle scene, of giving more than one feature or principal incident of the strife. The artist has ever chosen what he deemed the most interesting as well as exciting points of each combat...
The lithographs were produced in Paris. Carl Nebel was particuarly keen on French lithographers as the best qualified to reproduce his paintings, and both Kendall and Nebel supervised the production of the plates.
Plates:
- The Battle of Palo Alto
- The Capture of Monterey (margins slightly trimmed)
- The Battle of Buena Vista (margins slightly trimmed)
- The Bombardment of Vera Cruz (margins slightly trimmed)
- The Battle of Cerro Gordo
- The Assault at Contreras
- The Battle of Churubusco
- The Battle of Molino del Rey - Attack Upon the Casa Mata (margins slightly trimmed)
- The Battle of Molino del Rey - Attack Upon the Molino
- The Storming of Chapultepec - Quitman's Attack
- The Storming of Chapultepec - Pillow's Attack
- The General Scott's Entrance into Mexico
The eyewitness prints that must be compared against all other [of the Mexican-American War] are those produced under the direction of George Wilkins Kendall for his book The War Between the United States and Mexico Illustrated, published in January 1851.... [which] represents the climax of the confluence of journalism and lithography on the prints of the Mexican War - Sandweiss & Stewart, pages 36-39.
Rarity
Over the years many sets have been broken and the plate dispersed. Consequently, it is increasingly difficult to find a nice complete set, with the text and map in the original portfolio.
Carl Nebel (1805-1855) was a German artist and lithographer known for his detailed and vivid depictions of Mexico in the mid-19th century. After traveling to Mexico in the 1820s, Nebel captured the country's landscapes, architecture, and everyday life through a series of lithographic views that gained widespread acclaim. His most notable work, Voyage pittoresque et archéologique dans la partie la plus intéressante du Méxique (1836), featured 50 hand-colored lithographs that offered European audiences a rare visual insight into Mexican culture and scenery. Nebel's work was characterized by uncommon attention to detail and color, making his lithographs important visual documents that chronicled Mexico during a period of significant social and political change. His work was also featured in The War Between the United States and Mexico (1851), perhaps the most ambitious color plate book of the Mexican War, on which he collaborated with George Wilkins Kendall.