American Revolution
"THE BLOODY MASSACRE... March 5th 1770" Mid 20th Century Copy After Paul Revere's Historic Engraved Print
(PAUL REVERE), c. 1950 Mid 20th Century, Full-Color Photostatic Reproduction of Paul Revere's Original Print, "The BLOODY MASSACRE perpetrated in King Street BOSTON on March 5th 1770 by a party of the 29th Regt.", Framed, Choice Mint.
At first glance, this appears to be a genuine hand-colored original example of Paul Revere's iconic Boston Massacre Print, but closer examination reveals that the image is comprised of halftone dots being a high quality reproduction. The drawing is accurate, it follows the Original exactly, and the coloration is consistent with the Originals. Alas, this is a copy that is believed to have been produced circa 1950. By sight, the reprint measures 10.5" x 9" and it has been placed under "Conservation Glass" in a modern, ornate, black wood frame to an overall size of 13.5" x 12". Ex: EAHA Auction, August 28, 2004, in lot 167. Considering the extreme value of Original Paul Revere "Boston Massacre" Prints, recently in January 2019 a nice example sold at a major New York City auction house for over $400,000. This reproduction is a vastly less expensive, yet an equally historic appearing and attractive.
Paul Revere (December 21, 1734 Old Style [or January 1, 1735 New Style[ - May 10, 1818) was an American silversmith, engraver, early industrialist, and Patriot in the American Revolution. He is best known for his midnight ride to alert the colonial militia in April 1775 to the approach of British forces before the battles of Lexington and Concord, as dramatized in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem, "Paul Revere's Ride" (1861).
At age 41, Revere was a prosperous, established and prominent Boston silversmith. He had helped organize an intelligence and alarm system to keep watch on the British military. Revere later served as a Massachusetts militia officer, though his service ended after the Penobscot Expedition, one of the most disastrous campaigns of the American Revolutionary War, for which he was absolved of blame.
Following the war, Revere returned to his silversmith trade. He used the profits from his expanding business to finance his work in iron casting, bronze bell and cannon casting, and the forging of copper bolts and spikes. In 1800, he became the first American to successfully roll copper into sheets for use as sheathing on naval vessels.