Item 101 is a hand-colored engraving of a famous oil painting by American-born artist Benjamin West - The Death of General Wolfe. West was born in Pennsylvania, where he learned his trade, but moved to England after the French and Indian War, where he became a portrait painter to the King. Of course, England and America were close allies at that time, and this patriotic painting would have appealed to English-speakers on both sides of the Atlantic. It depicts the death of General James Wolfe, who led British forces to victory over the French in Quebec. It was a major event in England's victory over France in the French and Indian War, driving France from North America and making Canada a British possession. Sadly, General Wolfe himself wasn't around to enjoy the victory, dying on the field of battle. This engraving was produced in, of all years, 1776, the original having been painted five years earlier. €2,250 (US $3,266).
Item 90 is a guide for ship's doctors, though you will need to read Dutch to follow it, as that is the language of this first and only edition: Geneeskonst der heelmeesters tot dienst der zeevaart. Published in 1752 and compiled by Abraham Titsingh, it is a practical guide written by doctors who served on board Dutch war ships sailing from the Netherlands to Curaçao. The Dutch are not known for major possessions in the Americas, especially after the British kicked them out of New Amsterdam, but possessed a few small Caribbean islands in what was until recently known as the Netherlands Antilles. One of these is Curaçao, just off the Venezuelan coast, and it is still a semiautonomous part of the Netherlands today. This book is based on case studies onboard between 1743 and 1750, including an account of sicknesses and treatments employed, along with a commentary evidently from Titsingh, surgeon to the naval fleet. €3,500 (US $5,080).
Item 1 is a remnant from the days the Dutch were a force in New York. Though they were officially long gone by the time this church was built in Albany in 1715, their descendants remained as leading figures in the state indefinitely (example: the Roosevelts). Item 1 is a photo-lithographic plate of the Protestant Dutch Church on State Street in downtown Albany. You won't see the church there anymore - it was torn down in 1805, but this circa 1900 reprint of an 1806 engraving recreates that moment lost to history over two centuries ago. €65 (US $94).
Gert Jan Bestebreurtje Rare Books may be reached at +31 (0)347 322 548 or info@gertjanbestebreurtje.com. Their website is www.gertjanbestebreurtje.com.
