Handbill ["It is a sentiment long felt, and often expressed, that something should be undertaken on behalf of Emigrants…"] First Edition - James Moffitt - Bauman Rare Books

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Handbill ["It is a sentiment long felt, and often expressed, that something should be undertaken on behalf of Emigrants…"]

James MOFFITT

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Item#: 45339 price:$1,600.00

Handbill ["It is a sentiment long felt, and often expressed, that something should be undertaken on behalf of Emigrants…"]

Handbill ["It is a sentiment long felt, and often expressed, that something should be undertaken on behalf of Emigrants…"]

SCARCE 1817 HANDBILL ADVOCATING A GRANT OF LAND IN ILLINOIS AS A “HABITATION” FOR IRISH IMMIGRANTS

(MOFFITT, James). Handbill ["It is a sentiment long felt, and often expressed, that something should be undertaken on behalf of Emigrants…"]. (New York: no printer, dated Nov. 18, 1817). Folded half-sheet, measuring 15-3/4 by 10-1/4 inches; pp. [2]. $1600.

First edition of this printed handbill advocating public support of a petition to Congress for a grant of land in the Illinois Territory, “where the Irish Emigrant might procure to himself immediate shelter and subsistence.”

In 19th-century America, "Irish immigrants presented a particular problem. They were often illiterate and impoverished" (Smith III:746-47). In response to the degradation of Irish immigrants in the port cities, this open letter (signed in type by James Moffitt and ten others) seeks public support for a petition to Congress aimed at establishing a safe haven in Illinois where Irish immigrants could settle—rather than "remain in the sea-ports, until becoming victims of bad counsel, and bad example, they lose the pure and honest energies with which they left their native land, and suffer worse than shipwreck in the ruin of their moral qualities." Ultimately, Illinois—without a safe haven—became one of the most Irish states in the country. As Irish immigrants flocked to Illinois, they made lasting contributions, even in the face of widespread discrimination, to the state's many industries through its stockyards, steel mills, and lumber yards. Not in Shaw & Shoemaker. Manuscript docketing in contemporary hand.

Only a few short marginal tears along folds. Scarce.

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Aquatint Copperplate process by which the plate is “bitten” by exposure to acid. By changing the areas of the plate that are exposed and the length of time the plate is submerged in the acid bath, the engraver can obtain fine and varying shades of gray that closely resemble watercolor washes. Although the name contains the word “tint”, this is a black-and-white printing process; aquatint plates can often be hand colored, however.
Armorial Used to describe a binding bearing the coat of arms of the original owner, or with bookplates incorporating the owner’s arms.
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Boards Hard front and rear covers of a bound book which are covered in cloth, leather or paper. “Original boards” refers to cardboard-like front and back boards, from about 1700 to 1840, used as temporary protection for books before their purchasers would have them bound. Of particular value to collectors as evidence of a very early form of the book.
Book-Plate Label, generally affixed to the front pastedown, identifying a book’s owner.
Broadside Sheet printed on one side, typically for public display, usually larger than folio size (a folio being a broadside-size sheet printed on both sides and folded once, to make four pages).
Calf Binding material made from cowhide—versatile, durable, usually tan or brown in color, of smooth texture with no or little apparent grain. Readily marbled (“tree calf”), mottled, diced, colored, polished, tooled in gilt or blind, even scented (known as “russia”). Reverse calf, with a distinctive suede-like texture, is occasionally used.
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Doublure Pastedowns made not of paper but of leather, for decorative purposes.
Duodecimo (12MO) Smaller than an octavo, typically less than six inches tall; smaller formats, such as 24mo and 32mo, are uncommon.
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Wood-Engraving Engraving made with the graver or burin on the cross-section of a piece of boxwood; the harder wood and finer tools allow for more delicate, finely detailed images, while the block can still be set in the page alongside text and printed on the same stock as the text. While much older, wood engravings enjoyed an important renaissance in the late eighteenth century through Thomas Bewick and continued in popularity thorugh the nineteenth century.
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