Thomas Birch, American, 1779-1851
BRITANNIA to the Rescue, c. 1843
Oil on canvas
9 1/8 x 14 inches
Private collection
The wreck off Sable Island. The first side wheel steamship Britannia of the Cunard Line to the rescue
Thomas Birch (1779 – January 3, 1851), was an
English-born American portrait and marine painter. He was born in London,
England. He came to the U. S. in 1794, and assisted his artist father, William
Birch, in preparing a 29-plate collection of engravings: Birch's Views of
Philadelphia (1800). Subscribers to the series included President John Adams
and Vice President Thomas Jefferson. This sold well and went into multiple
editions, inspiring similar collected views of New York City, and of suburban
estates surrounding Philadelphia and Baltimore. Thomas' first major painting
appears to have been a view of Philadelphia from the Treaty Elm in Kensington,
which was also engraved and published in 1804. He painted portraits until about
1807, when he took up marine-painting. Some of his most famous works depict
naval battles of the War of 1812.
Historically, the Birches' most important work
may be a circa-1801 engraving documenting the unfinished U.S. Capitol. Another,
may be the painting depicting an 1812 naval battle between USS United States
and HMS Macedonian, that hung in the Oval Office of U.S. President John F.
Kennedy. More on Thomas Birch
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