Monmouth Battle Grounds, N. J.

Period1845

MediumEngraving on paper

Dimensions4.75 × 7.25 in. (12.1 × 18.4 cm)

InscribedInscribed lower left, "James Smillie." Inscribed lower right, "Smillie & Hinshelwood." Inscribed bottom center, "Monmouth Battle Grounds, N. J."

ClassificationsPrints

Credit LineMuseum Purchase, 2015

Object number2015.5.1

DescriptionLandscape view showing a farmstead in the right distance with a story and a half main residence, a one story wing attached to it on the left, a barn beyond the house, and a small outbuilding to its right. The farm is set in a rolling landscape dotted with trees. Two large trees in the right foreground frame the farm. Between the trees in the lower right is a large rock near which are two males wearing hats, one of whom is carrying a gun.
Curatorial RemarksPicturesque scenes such as this contributed to the Monmouth Battlefield’s growing reputation as an attraction for sightseers. As observed by the Rev. Frank R. Symmes, who discussed “local points of interest” associated with the battle in his History of the Old Tennent Church (2nd ed., 1904), “Many relics have been gathered up from the battle-field by people of the vicinity, highly prized material mementoes of a very vigorous strife.”NotesA landscape view of the Monmouth Battlefield in Manalapan Township, Monmouth County, which depicts the Old Tennent Parsonage Farm in the distant right. During the pre-Civil War era, illustrated periodicals such as Graham’s Magazine provided American audiences with fascinating––and beautifully rendered––images of America’s historical sites. This view of the Monmouth battleground, engraved by James H. Smillie and Robert Hinshelwood (after an original oil by Smillie), was used to illustrate Charles J. Peterson’s article, “The Battle-grounds of America. No. IV – Monmouth,” published in Graham’s Magazine in January 1845.

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