Amos Doolittle Prints to Star in Christie’s Upcoming Americana Sale

Amos Doolittle’s 1775 prints will be crossing the auction block this month during Christie’s Important Americana sale. Doolittle visited Lexington and Concord shortly after a conflict took place between the colonial militia and the British troops. He then interviewed several eyewitnesses to create a series depicting the moments of April 19, 1775. The resulting print, titled A View of the Town of Concord, shows the British marching towards Concord. A version of this piece is available in the auction. In another available Doolittle work, titled A View of the Town of Lexington, burning buildings can be seen as the British retreat back to Boston. Explaining the documentation of the event, the lot essay writes, “Crude as they are, Doolittle’s prints of the battle are the best pictorial record— indeed, the only pictorial record by a contemporary American— of the events of April 19, 1775. They are the only representations of the battle with a genuine claim to authenticity.”

Another lot highlighted in the auction is Charles Peale Polk’s oil painting of George Washington. Polk was a celebrated American portrait painter in the 18th century. He worked on a series of paintings depicting George Washington during the early days of his presidency. One of these pieces is available in the sale. View the entire catalog of Americana and register to bid online on Christie’s.