plans and perspective of proposed chemistry buildings, Harvard University
Date: circa 1880
Inventory Number: 1997-1-0889
Classification: Plates
Dimensions:each plate: 0.4 × 14.7 × 21.2 cm (3/16 × 5 13/16 × 8 3/8 in.)
Accessories: paper cover
DescriptionThis is a series of three plates and three prints.
The first plate is a steel engraving that depicts five rectangular chemistry buildings surrounding a centrally placed building with columns in the front at Harvard University . There are several rectangular patches of landscaped greenery around the buildings, as well as shrubs and trees, and an entrance gate in the front with people and cars outside. There is one print struck from this plate in this series.
The second and third plates, also steel engravings, schematically lay out the position of the buildings and label each building. The third plate in this series seems to be only partially developed and the typography is not in reverse. This error accounts for its unfinished state.
There are two apparently unrelated prints in this series. One is a view of the Luxembourg gardens in the springtime with a woman holding a parasol and a little girl in the foreground. There is another little girl in the background playing with a hoop and and a crowd of people who sit in chairs in the distance near two statues.
The other unrelated print is of a Parisian street cafe with a striped awning and fashionably dressed people who enjoy their beverages, food, and cigarettes. They are possibly from Longfellow's days as a student in the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris.