The Charles Bird King scrapbooks
include more than 1,100 prints and a scattering of original drawings. For
the most part, the works of art are by European artists; English and Dutch
prints predominate. Many of the prints and drawings are of great value
monetarily, aesthetically, and historically. Others were useful to King
for their iconography and associations. The collection, however, is a landmark
in the history of American art: it is one of only a few complete, extant
collections of prints assembled by an American artist at the beginning
of the 19th century. The King scrapbooks are significant from these two
points of view:
-
Individual items in the scrapbooks are masterpieces
in the history of art.
-
The entire collection is a landmark in the history
of American art.
The collection includes a large number of unidentified
prints as well as works of well-known artists such as Rembrandt (1606-1669).
Below is one of several Rembrandt etchings in the King scrapbooks. On the
following pages is a selection of works from the King scrapbooks. While
they are limited in number, they indicate the depth and breadth of the
collection. |
