John Jesse Barker
Horizontorium

Public Domain

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Lithographer John Jesse Barker(American, born c. 1785, active c. 1815–1860)American, born c. 1785, active c. 1815–1860

ArtistAfter William G. Mason (American, active 1822–1860)American, active 1822–1860

Publisher R. H. Hobson(Philadelphia)Philadelphia

CultureAmerican

Titles

Horizontorium

Date1832

PlacePhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

MediumLithograph

DimensionsSheet: 22 5/8 × 17 5/8 in. (57.4 × 44.7 cm)

Credit LineThe Bayou Bend Collection, museum purchase funded by Mrs. James Anderson, Jr. in memory of her husband, James Anderson, Jr.

Object numberB.96.16

Not on view

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Department

Bayou Bend

Object Type

PRINTS

DescriptionThis so-called horizontorium print presents an extremely distorted view of Benjamin Henry Latrobe’s Gothic-style Philadelphia Bank of 1808. This distortion, a technique called anamorphosis, requires that the viewer have a specific, oblique perspective on the image to see it correctly. Though horizontorium prints became popular in Europe as a type of optical novelty, this is the only American example known.
ProvenanceAcquired Oct. 21, 1996, from Jonathan Greenberg, NYC
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks

Inscription: Printed lower left: "HORIZONTORIUM/From the original Drawing by Wm. Mason,/in the possession of Charles N. Bancker Esqr./Philadelphia: Published by R.H. Hobson 147 Chestnut Street./Entered according to the act of Congress in the year 1832 by R.H. Hobson in the District of Pennsylvania." Printed center below image: "Drawn on Stone by J.J. Barker"

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

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