A Collection of 16 Proof Plates, mostly from Bartlett's American Scenery.

London: George Virtue, [1839 - 1842].. Sixteen plates by Bartlett, engraved by Cousen, Brandard, Willmore, others. These are proofs on India paper, colored, on white stock measuring 11 x 8.5 inches, mounted on larger sheets of different stock which measure 17 x 11.5 inches. These are proofs before letters, bearing only the artist and engraver names in the lower margin, but no titles. the larger sheets are uniformly tanned, with occasional foxing and some stains to margins, a few with short tears in margins and wear to edges. Images are almost all in fine, clean condition, and all are colored. Titles are provided in a miniscule hand at the very bottom corner of the larger sheets, and again on the rear, sometimes with an associated page number. Most are of New York State. The titles and page numbers as given: Little Falls on the Mohawk / Caldwell: Lake George 69 / Rapids Above Niagara Falls 16 / View on the Susquehanna above Owego / Valley of the Shenandoah from Jeffersons Rock 108 / Mount Tom on the Connecticut River / Chapel of Our Lady: Cold Spring / Mount Jefferson from Mount Washington / The Narrows: Lake George / Palisades of the Hudson 14 / Undercliff near Cold Spring (on back: Undercliff on Hudson) / Gothic Church New Haven / View on the Susquehanna at Liverpool / Highlands: Lake George / Crow's Nest on the Hudson 24 (some creases across image) / The Walls of Southampton (crease to upper corner just touching image). Sabin: Bibliotheca Americana, pg. 502: "Some proof copies of the plates were printed in folio without letter-press."
The catalogue of the collection of Mr. John Allan, from May 2, 1864, contains this lot: "3490. BARTLETT’S AMERICAN SCENERY. A Collection of 81 Proof Plates. Folio." A number of the plates in this group of 16 have the number "3490" in pencil in the lower right corner, suggesting that they are from Allan's collection auctioned in 1864. 16 plates, attractively colored, for the lot: