Details
Title Hoffy, Alfred A.
Alternate title Hoffy, Alfred M.
Date 1796 - March 10, 1872
Description Alfred A. Hoffy, born in England in 1796 and an ex-Major of the British Army, was an author, lithographic artist, and publisher of noted lithographic periodicals active in Philadelphia ca. 1838-1868. He issued the first illustrated American journal devoted to fruit cultivation, the "Orchardist's Companion," published 1841-1842 and was also the predominate artist of the plates for the military fashion periodical "U.S. Military Magazine" published 1839-1842 by Duval and Huddy. Hoffy delineated portraits, advertisements, fashion plates, and sheet music, predominately printed by P. S. Duval and Wagner & McGuigan during his thirty-year career in Philadelphia.
A British soldier who fought in the Battle of Waterloo as an aide-de-camp to the Duke of Wellington, Hoffy immigrated to New York City in the mid-1830s, where he worked as an artist and lithographer in collaboration with British lithographer J.T. Bowen at 59 Cedar Street. Together with John Elliott they produced the portrait "Eng-Chang" depicting the "Siamese twins" in New York in 1837. Both Hoffy and Bowen relocated to Philadelphia ca. 1838, where in 1839, advertisements for Hoffy's drawings and lithographs, including "The Robert F. Stockton" and "Sarcophagus brought from Syria," appear in the Philadelphia newspaper "North American." During the 1840s and 1850s, Hoffy's portraiture work often received notice in local newspapers, including his lithographs of Casius M. Clay from a daguerreotype by Plumbe (1846), Abby Kelly Foster from a daguerreotype (1846), General Santa Anna (1847), the Washington family (1857), and Cyrus W. Field (1858).
Hoffy operated his lithographic establishment from several locations in Philadelphia. His first known shop was located at 41 Chestnut Street until 1842. He moved twice the following year, working from 45 Chestnut Street and 173 Arch Street. He operated from 88 Walnut Street 1844-1847; 20 South Third Street 1848-1852; 89 South Fifth Street in 1854; 90 Walnut Street 1855-1856; the southeast corner of Fifth and Vine Streets in 1857; 312 North Front Street in 1858; and at 1534 Vine Street as an artist and publisher by 1860.
According to the 1850 and 1860 censuses, Hoffy married Emma Jane Patterson (ca. 1820-1892), a New York native, and had eight children: Martha (b. 1836) and Emma (b. 1838) born in New York; and Alfred A., Jr. (1840-1858), Amanda (b. 1843), Louisa (b. 1843), Adelaide (b. 1845), Adell (b. 1847), and Henry (b. 1850) born in Philadelphia. The family resided in the Chestnut Street Ward in Center City in 1850, and by 1859 had moved north to 1315 Vine Street (Ward 10). In 1861, the family relocated to 1716 Wallace Street, where they lived until 1864 before another change of residency to West Philadelphia where Hoffy resided as a "gentleman" at 3914 Baltimore Avenue for three years. In 1868, Hoffy and his family moved to Brooklyn, New York where he died on March 10, 1872.
Is part of Philadelphia on Stone Biographical Dictionary of Lithographers
References See Duval, P.S.; Quintin, D.S. and Wagner & McGuigan
Has format FLP-Hoffy-pdcc00015.jpg
Call number Philadelphia on Stone Biographical Dictionary of Lithographers
Bibliographic citation Census 1850, 1860, 1870
Groce & Wallace, 321-322
Last, 195
Library Company of Philadelphia research file
Peters, 221-222
Philadelphia Inquirer, May 17, 1841, November 23, 1841, and March 8, 1892
Sunday Dispatch, March 10-17, 1872
WWWAA, 1590
Image file FLP-Hoffy-pdcc00015