Title: City Hall. (New York City).
Charles F. Mielatz (1864-1919)
Medium: Etching, undated c.1890.
Edition unknown.
Signed in pencil. First state before the cutting down of the plate in 1908 for the second state.
Image size 12 1/8 x 8 3/4" (309 x 223 mm).
Condition: Very good condition of this rare state.

Charles Frederick William Mielatz (1864-1919) was born in Bredding, Germany. He emigrated to the United States as a young boy and studied at the Chicago School of Design. Mostly self-taught, his first prints were large New England landscapes reminiscent of the American etching revival. Around 1890 he started to produce prints of New York City. He was a master technician in the field of etching, reworking many of his plates to get the exact feeling he was seeking. It was not unusual for him to have three or more states to a print in an edition run. On some he would simply reduce the plate size, on others, he would remove entire sections of the image to redraw it. He was one of the early pioneers of multi-plate color etchings in this country. Mary Cassatt's color etchings may have influenced him. He was a member of the New York Etching Club and elected an Associate Member of the National Academy in 1906. He succeeded James David Smillie as the etching teacher at the National Academy, a position he held for 15 years.