Sale 2485 - 19th & 20th Century Prints & Drawings, September 20, 2018

149  THOMAS MORAN The Harbor of Vera Cruz, Mexico . Etching on imitation Japan paper, 1886. 295x665 mm; 11 5 / 8 x26 1 / 4 inches, full margins. Signed in pencil, lower left. Published by Christian Klackner, New York. A superb, richly-inked impression of this large etching. During the early 1880s, Moran (1837-1926) and his family traveled to England where his work was championed by the inf luential art critic John Ruskin, further cementing Moran’s position as one of the leading American artists of his day. Just weeks after his return from Europe, he set sail with a contingent of American industrialists with the Mexican National Railroad on a trip that led him through Cuba and on to Mexico. According to Anderson, “It was during the Mexican trip that Moran made written reference to an even more distant port—one that eventually became, perhaps, his most popular subject. Shortly after arriving in Vera Cruz, Moran wrote to [his wife] Mary sharing news of his trip. In describing the Mexican coastal city, he called Vera Cruz ‘another pictorial place like Venice. A quiet smooth sea ref lecting the castle and buildings. Very green water.’ At the time he made the comment, Moran had not been to Venice. He had, however, seen many images of Venice—a substantial number by [ J.M.W.] Turner,” (Anderson, Thomas Moran , Washington, D.C., 1998, page 121). Klackner 53. [2,000/3,000] 150 c THOMAS MORAN Harlech Castle—Wales. Etching and roulette, 1882. 200x302 mm; 7 7 / 8 x12 inches, wide margins. Third state (of 3). Signed in pencil, lower left. A very good, dark impression of this scarce, early etching. Klackner 33. [1,000/1,500] 151 c STEPHEN PARRISH Gloucester Harbor . Etching, 1882. 334x502 mm; 13 1 / 4 x19 1 / 2 inches, full margins. Signed in pencil, lower right. A very good impression of this large, scarce etching, with all the details and tonal variations distinct. Schneider 74. [1,000/1,500] 149