William Banton (British/American, active Early 19th Century) A View of the Court House & Part of the Main St...

Description:

William Banton (British/American, active Early 19th Century)A View of the Court House & Part of the Main Street, in the City of Lancaster, in the State of Pennsylvania, Northerly Taken by W. Banton in his camera Dec. 12th at 1/2 past 11 o'clock A.M. distant about 65 Rods from said Court House.

Titled inscription below. Watercolor and ink on laid paper, sight size 17 3/4 x 26 1/4 in., in a contemporary molded wood frame. Condition: Creases, tears, scattered stains.

Note: This work and the following two lots are accompanied by four photo-copied documents, one a handwritten note by a direct descendant of the artist, the three others pertaining to the history and description of the the paintings. The most pertinent information regarding these works reads..."William Banton my great, great, Grandfather a direct descendant back to 1820, was an itinerant traveling poet and camera obscura artist of the early 1800's and a few of his works survived. Another of the documents states the "prints" were found in an attic of the family home in Freedom, Maine, by great-great Grandmother Beers, granddaughter of William Banton the artist and passed down to the present Beers family. "The three prints were drawn by only one person, my great-great-great grandfather William Banton free-hand thru his camera obscura when he visited these places."Another notes that "Wm. Banton married Lady Ellen/Banton who came to America to escape a merchant who sold redcoats to the English Army."
Estimate $5,000-7,000

18 in. horizontal tear from lower left edge then going down about 3 in., tear 2 in jagged at l.l. edge, two tears at l.r. one about 3/4 in. the other 2 1/2 x 2 in., few small dark stain spots in the sky .

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