William Penn's Treaty with the Indians (Furnishing Fabric)

Discussion

FROM THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO’S CATALOG

All three versions od "William Penn's Treaty with the Indians" were adapted from an engraving by John Hall (1739- 1797), published by John Boydell (1719- 1804) in London in 1775. The Hall print is after a painting of the same subject by Benjamin West (1738-1826) dating from 1771, now in Independence Hall, Philadelphia. Two version differ from each other only with respect to scale and most closely resemble the original engraving. The third is not only a smaller pattern but also shows a great deal more vegetation than the other two versions. Thus, there are represented three separate engravings of the same scene. William Penn (1644- 1718) was a prominent English Quaker leader and the founder of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. He was a friend and ally of the tribes and purchased land from them at a fair price. The "treaty" depicted by Benjamin West was not an actual event-- no documents were ever signed although Penn did meet with the Indians in 1683 to establish peach.

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