Beschreibung:

Heine. Wilhelm[Illustrations of the Japan Expedition]. New York: Eliphalet M. Brown Jr  [1855-1856]
Elephant folio. 6 lithographic plates, printed in colors and finished by hand, by G.W. Lewis (1), J. Sarony & Co (4), and Boell & Michelin (1), all after Heine; without the lithographed title (as usual).
The individual plates in the present work are as follows:1. "Return of Commodore Perry, Officers and Men of the Squadron, from an Official Visit to the Prince Regent at Shui, Capitol of Lew Chew, June 6 1853...", printed by G.W. Lewis, dated 18552. "Passing the Rubicon. Lieut. S. Bent in the 'Mississippi's' First Cutter Forcing his way through a Fleet of Japanese Boats while Surveying the Bay of Yedo, Japan, July 11th, 1853....", printed by Sarony & Co, dated 18553. "First Landing of Americans in Japan. Under Commodore M.C. Perry at Gore-Hama July 14th, 1853....", printed by Sarony & Co, dated 18554. "Landing of Commodore Perry, Officers & Men of the Squadron, to Meet the Imperial Commissioners at Yoku-Hama, Japan, March 8th, 1854....", printed by Sarony & Co, dated 18555. "Landing of Commodore Perry, Officers & Men of the Squadron, to Meet the Imperial Commissioners, at Simoda, Japan, June 8, 1854....", printed by Sarony & Co, dated 18556. "Exercise of Troops in Temple Grounds Simoda Japan, in Presence of the Imperial Commissioners June 8th 1854...", printed by Boell & Michelin, dated 1856 A very rare complete set of Heine's elephant folio-sized lithographic record of Perry in Japan. William Heine was the official artist on Commodore Matthew C. Perry's expedition to Japan in 1853-54. On returning to the United States he produced several series of prints commemorating the trip, the first, the greatest and the rarest of which is the present group consisting of a title and six plates. These were overseen by the expedition's daguerreotypist Eliphalet Brown, who was also an excellent artist and lithographer. The total number of sets of printed is not known, but, it is recorded that Brown gave 100 sets to Commodore Perry for distribution to members of the expedition. The number of sets sold to the public has not been established, but was undoubtedly small. One of the reasons for the rarity of the complete set is that the plates were printed over two years by three publishers. Individual prints are occasionally encountered, particularly the four printed in 1855 by Sarony of New York, but the two other plates are much scarcer. A secondary reason for the rarity of this set is the initial cost. It was significantly more expensive than Heine's Graphic Scenes of the Japan Expedition (a smaller folio published in the same year as the final plate): the popularity of this smaller set ensured that only very few of the magnificent larger sets were ever sold. In scale, scope, and quality of execution, this work includes what is arguably the finest lithographic work ever produced in the United States. REFERENCE:Peters, America on Stone pp. 98, 352-53; S.M. Morison, "Old Bruin" in Commodore Matthew C. Perry, 1794-1858 (Boston: 1967), p.463