Representing the city in 1800: William Birch's Views of Philadelphia

Abstract

William Birch published The City of Philadelphia... as It Appeared in the Year 1800, a volume of prints, in 1800; these scenes have often been accepted as accurate representations. A more comprehensive evaluation of the city and its portrayal in 1800 was undertaken to resolve this confused relationship between subject and representation. Technical information, Birch's memoirs, writings about cities, and the images themselves were examined as evidence of the technological, personal, social, and intellectual context of the views. ☐ Birch created his representations in the context of debate about the nature of the Enlightenment city. He illustrated no specific text, but his work displayed many of the buildings mentioned by writers. His specific choices and omissions consitituted one portrait of Philadelphia's cultural, social, political, economic, and physical landscape. The illusion of comprehension (both understanding and completeness) given by the volume was reinforced by patterns within and among images.