P. T. Barnum's Car of Neptune as Seen in the Great Street Pageant
New York: H. A. Thomas, Lithographic Studio, ca. 1875. Color lithographic plate. 22" x 28". Printed on paper and mounted to board and varnished; small scuffs & gouges, some pieces of the print are missing, edges worn, but the colors are strong and the images well preserved.
An evocative print showing Neptune and his mermaids riding in a chariot, being drawn by a team of eight finely delineated horses and driven by a member of Barnum's circus. A very rare survival and even in this condition, an excellent example of the showmanship of Barnum and his sense of attracting attention to his latest attraction.
The lithographer is H. A. Thomas, whose lithographic studio was on Broadway just below Houston Street. Peters provides a very limited biography, focusing more on his production, including a very large lithograph of a tattooed prison.
I was unable to locate this image in any of the standard works. See Peters, American on Stone, page 384 for information on the lithographer. (337). Item #337
Price: $2,000.00