Christ Church Philadelphia by Jerome Kaplan

This is an etching by Philadelphia artist Jerome Kaplan. The subject is Christ Church in Philadelphia. Christ Church dates to 1744 and was constructed in the Georgian style. The steeple was completed in 1754 financed by a lottery organized by Benjamin Franklin. The steeple was designed by one of America's first architects, Robert Smith. When completed, the church was the tallest building in North America. The church has a rich history. The congregation itself was established in 1695 as a condition of William Penn’s Charter starting the American Episcopal Church. Kaplan acknowledges this by placing the symbol of the Episcopal church emerging from the clouds between the steeple and the tower. Known as “The Nation’s Church,” it hosted members of the Continental Congress during the American Revolution and Presidents George Washington and John Adams in the first decade of the newly established Republic. Among early members were Benjamin and Deborah Franklin, Betsy Ross, John Penn (William Penn’s grandson), and signers of the Constitution and of the Declaration of Independence, including Robert Morris, Benjamin Rush, and Francis Hopkinson. It is from a series of etchings Kaplan did in 1966 of Philadelphia landmarks. This is a monochrome etching where Kaplan uses different intensities of the ink to capture the light and shadow. The frame size is given above. The plate size is 11.5 x 14.75 inches. It is titled lower center, the edition (35/40 a small edition for Kaplan) is given lower left and it is signed Jerome Kaplan '66 lower right all in pencil. There is a monogram JK in the plate lower right. The etching is in excellent condition. The printing in crisp and well inked. There is no fading, toning, foxing, staining, tears, or paper loss. It is archivally framed and matted. It has not been examined out of the frame. A wonderful piece of Philadelphia and American history by a fine artist.
Jerome Kaplan (1920-2007)
Jerome Kaplan was a Philadelphia printmaker who exhibited extensively in the United States and abroad. He was Professor and Director of the Printmaking Department of the Philadelphia College of Art. He was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1961. His works are held by the Library of Congress, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the National Gallery of Art, and the New York Print League among others. Exhibitions include: Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts annual, 1958; Fourth International Prints exhibition, Ljubjana, Yugoslavia, 1961; Philadelphia Print Club, 1970s; Premiere Biennale Internationale de l'Estampe - Epinal (France), 1971; National Society of American Graphic Artists, New York, 1979, among others. He was awarded the Guggenheim Fellowship in 1961; a Tamarind Lithography Workshop scholarship, 1962; Mettie Marie Jones Visual Arts Fellowship, 1983; and the Richard Florsheim Art Fund Grant, 1993. He produced numerous works representing well known Philadelphia landmarks, but also produced abstract works.

Size: 1970s
Price: $100
Framed Size: 22.25 x 25.5 inches
Plate Size: 11.5 x 14.75 inches
Condition: Excellent
Medium: Etching
Subject: Architecture & Cityscape

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