DANMARK

[Bærentzen, Emilius]: [United States Virgin Islands]: [Greenland]

Verlag: Emilius Baerentzen, Copenhagen, 1856

Two volumes. [46]; [31] lithographic plates (some in color), each followed by descriptive text. Chromolithographic title. Oblong folio. Contemporary maroon cloth, ornate gilt- lettered covers, a.e.g. Second volume rebacked at an early date, corners repaired. Rubbed. Minor foxing. Occasionally dampstaining in lower margin. Images generally clean. Old ownership stamp on front fly leaf of first volume. Very good. An impressive lithographic tour of Denmark and her colonies. While the majority of the plates show local Danish scenes and landscapes, nine views show scenes in America: three in Greenland and six of islands in the Danish West Indies (the eventual U.S. Virgin Islands). The views in America are: Greenland: 1) "Parti ved Jakobshavn. (Grönland)." Chromolithograph of a native hunting party gathered on an icy shore. 2) "Colonie Omenak. (Grönland)." View of a small Greenland colony, with a large ship offshore and clusters of colonists engaged in various activities in the foreground. 3) "Kingoa-Dalen. (Grönland)." View of a traveling party cooking on an open fire in a lush valley. Perhaps the party was on a portage; a canoe is shown in the lower left corner. Danish West Indies, now the U.S. Virgin Islands: 1) "Christianssted. (St. Croix)." A panoramic view of the harbor, showing a large church and Danish fort. 2) "St. Jan. (Parti af det Indre)." A wide view of the lush landscape, showing settlers cooking over an open fire in the foreground. 3) "Cruxbay. (St. Jan)." A pastoral scene of activity just outside the settlement walls. 4) "Parti af St. Thomas." A cityscape of the port of St. Thomas, displaying the city's impressive architecture. 5) "Parti ved Frederikssted. (St. Croix)." A river scene, showing five men in a rowboat trolling for fish and a large Danish fort to the far right. 6) "St. Thomas. (Parti af Byen og Havnen)." A close-up view of the harbor, showing a bustling downtown area and a full port, including an early steamer. An attractive and rare assemblage of views. In addition to the Greenland chromolithograph, five additional chromolithographs of Danish scenes are present, along with scenes in Iceland and the Faroe Islands. There are very few visual images of the U.S. Virgin Islands from this early date. Bestandsnummer des Verkäufers WRCAM34064

Bibliografische Details

Titel: DANMARK
Verlag: Emilius Baerentzen, Copenhagen
Erscheinungsdatum: 1856