Details
Creator Morris, Marriott Canby, 1863-1948, photographer.
Title Rear view of State House from Walnut St[reet] [graphic].
Publisher PA. Philadelphia. 1887
Date April 25, 1887
Physical Description 1 photograph : glass negative ; 4 x 5 in.
Description Glass negative showing exterior view of the back of the Independence Hall. A wide path with benches leads through a Independence Square toward the building. Pedestrians pass through the square on the flagstone walks under the trees that dot the park. Construction on Independence Hall began in 1732 and completed in 1753 after the designs of Andrew Hamilton (1676-1741) and Edmund Woolly (1695-1771). It originally housed all three branches of the Pennsylvania colonial government, as well as being host to the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and the Constitutional Convention. The building went through numerous renovations and reconstructions, until in 1950 when the National Park Service restored much of the architecture and interior to its 1776 appearance. It is a part of Independence National Park and a major tourist attraction as of the 21st century.
Notes Title from entry in photographer's diary.
Inscribed in negative: No. 14.
Photographer remarks: too fast for stop used.
Time: 2:00
Reproduced in The Print and Photograph Department of the Library Company of Philadelphia's Center City Philadelphia in the 19th century (Portsmouth, N.H.: Arcadia Publishing, 2006), p. 119.
Arcadia caption text: Originally known as the State House Yard, Independence Square, on the 500 block of Walnut Street, was purchased in 1729 by the Pennsylvania Assembly for the erection of the State House. When the city bought the square in 1816, the undeveloped portion north of Walnut Street had been enclosed by fencing and was used as a public green for community meetings and demonstrations. The above view, taken in 1887, shows the square after its major redesign into geometric form, and includes the new flagstone walks, from the plans of William Dixey, City Commissioner of Property.
Digitization and cataloging edits have been made possible through the generosity of David Marriott Morris, Eleanor Rhoads Morris Cox, and William Perot Morris in memory of Marriott Canby Morris and his children: Elliston Perot Morris, Marriott Canby Morris Jr., and Janet Morris and in acknowledgment of his grandchildren: William Perot Morris, Eleanor Rhoads Morris Cox, Jonathan White Morris, and David Marriott Morris.
Edited.
Subject Independence Hall (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Historic buildings -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia.
Plazas -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia.
Philadelphia artists.
Geographic subject Chestnut Street (Philadelphia, Pa.) -- 520.
Walnut Street (Philadelphia, Pa.) -- 500 block.
Independence Square (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Genre Glass negatives -- 1880-1890.
Location Library Company of Philadelphia| Print Department| Marriott C. Morris [P.9895.1107]
Accession number P.9895.1107