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Description

Newport From Goat Island During The American Revolution

Striking lithographic view of Newport, Rhode Island, by John P. Newell and J.H. Bufford.

As noted below, the view illustrates Newport during the American Revolution.  The view shows Newport from Goat Island looking westward, with town, wharves and waterfront illustrated and labeled below the image. 

Fort George, shown in the foreground, was not constructed until 1738.  In 1775, it was briefly renamed Fort Liberty under American occupation, but was renamed Fort George during the British occupation of Newport from 1776 through 1779.

As noted by Hammett in 1887, the date on the view is an error.  The image is drawn from a panel over the mantle of a house on Mill Street in Newport owned at the time of printing by James Phillips.  The painting was drawn by a British Officer, who was residing in the house at the time, suggesting that the original image was likely drawn in or around the time of the Battle of Newport in 1778, but definitely during the period of British occupation of Newport.  Sometime prior to 1887 (when it was cataloged by Charles Edward Hammett), the original artwork was removed to Redwood Library.  

The dating of the lithograph is also muddled.  While a number of bibliographic sources have suggested an 1884 date (Reps, for example, gives both dates), a closer look at the image shows a date of 1864.

Condition Description
Top left corner restored, loss of image added in facsimile.
Reference
Charles Edward Hammett, A Contribution to the Bibliography and Literature of Newport, R. I., Comprising a List of Books Published Or Printed, in Newport, with Notes and Additions p. 123 (1887)