Rare Paul Revere print found in 19th century book

A portrait of Paul Revere by Gilbert Stuart. It was painted in 1813, when Revere was about 78 years old. Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) – A rare engraved print created by Paul Revere has been found in the pages of a 19th century book at Brown University.

A Brown preservationist discovered the print a few weeks ago while studying an 1811 book once owned by a 1773 Brown graduate. The book was donated to Brown 70 years ago by the graduate’s descendants.

The print shows Jesus and John the Baptist in the Jordan River. Revere’s name is featured on the bottom corner. Only five copies of the print are known to exist.

Richard Noble, who catalogs rare items in Brown’s collections, says he has several unanswered questions about the find, including Revere’s reasons for making the print, his relationship with the book’s owner, and why it took decades for anyone to notice the rare item.

Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

AP-WF-04-11-12 1648GMT

ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE

A portrait of Paul Revere by Gilbert Stuart. It was painted in 1813, when Revere was about 78 years old. Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons.