1840s

 

David S. Quintin, United States Hotel Chesnut Street, Philadelphia (Philadelphia: P. S. Duval, Lith, ca. 1840). Crayon lithograph.

 

Although an advertisement for the newly renovated premier hotel of the city at 419-423 Chestnut, this lithograph printed by Duval also serves as a cityscape. The state-chartered Bank of the United States, formerly the Second Bank of the United States (right), and the Farmer’s Mechanic Bank (left) foreshadow the evolution by the 1850s of these blocks into “Bankers Row.” The development of this financial center in the city would eventually cause the destruction of the hotel in 1856. The street and pedestrian activity provide a lively feel to the print and a taste of everyday life in Philadelphia during the 1840s, when children played marbles on the sidewalk and couples rode horseback in the street.

 

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