The South East Prospect of the City of Philadelphia is the oldest surviving oil painting that depicts a North American city. A key at the bottom numbers and identifies landmarks. The arms of William Penn and the City of Philadelphia appear in the top corners. In the lower left corner the artist has depicted himself sketching the scene., LCP Minutes vol. 7, February 5, 1857, p. 92-93: "Mr. Hutchinson read the following letter from Hon. George M. Dallas (Minister to Great Britain), dated London, January 12, 1857 and laid on the table the painting therein mentioned. `I will send for the Phila Liby an antique daub painted as is believed here in 1720 purporting to be "The South East prospect of the city of Philadelphia by Peter Cooper, painter." It is on torn canvas some 8 feet long by 1 1/2 wide. One of the members of Parliament in looking over the rubbish of a City curiosity shop picked it up and brought it to me. The principal buildings of the City at that day are pointed out & 24 good old Philadelphia Householders are named in the margin. Although worthless on any score but that connection with Auld Lang Syne it presents at half a glance so strong a contrast to the Consolidated City of 1857 that it has its interest for a corner of the Phila Library'. Whereupon the following Resolution was unanimously adopted:`Resolved that the Directors of the Library Company of Phila having received from the Hon. George M. Dallas a picture of Phila. by Peter Cooper do return him their grateful thanks for his attention and kindness in procuring & transmitting to them a most interesting & valuable Record of the appearance of our City as it was upward of a century & quarter ago, with a reference to the public buildings & private residences of many of our earliest and most remarkable citizens.'", Gift of George Mifflin Dallas, 1857., Exhibited in: Great Central Fair in Philadelphia, in the "Wm. Penn Parlor" (1864); Pennsylvania Museum of Art's exhibition, The Sea (1935); Metropolitan Museum of Art's exhibition, Franklin and His Circle (1936); Corcoran Gallery's exhibition, American Processional, 1492-1900, (1950); University of Pennsylvania's exhibition, Benjamin Franklin Winston Churchill (1951); Library Company's exhibition, Quater of a Millennium (1981).
Letter sent to John A. McAllister accompanied the relic, “Poughkeepsie, N.Y. Oct. 21, 1858 My Dear Friend, On my return home I found a piece of wood that has been sent to me from Mr. John Laird, of Quebec, which he assures me is a well authenticated piece of the Petite Hermine, one of Jacques Cartier’s vessels which he abandoned there in the spring of 1536. It was brought up from about ten feet below the surface of the mud, and with it was an ancient ‘chain plate’ such as has now been used in modern vessels. From the character of Mr. Laird, I am convinced that it is what it purports to be. I thought you might be willing to accept a small piece of such a curious relic, so I send it to you with the kindest regards of myself, Mrs. L. and Miss L. Yours very truly, Benson J. Lossing.”, Gift of John A. McAllister, 1866.
