Bethlehem

Item

Title

Bethlehem

Creator

George Lehman
American, b. Switzerland, c. 1803–1870
Published by C. G. Childs & R. H. Hobson, Philadelphia

Date

1830

Materials

Lithograph with hand coloring

Measurements

17-1/16 x 22 in. (43.4 x 55.9 cm)

Description

This bucolic view of Bethlehem captures the still relatively small town just after the Lehigh Canal was constructed, though the canal is virtually impossible to detect from this vantage point. In the foreground, the group of three people converse on what is now Wyandotte Street, in South Bethlehem. Just beyond them, across the Lehigh River, is Sand Island. The canal flows between the island and Bethlehem proper, in the distance. There, the Central Moravian Church, constructed in 1806 and for many years the town’s predominant structure, stands, not surprisingly, at the very center of the composition.

Source

Palmer Museum of Art, The Pennsylvania State University, partial gift and purchase from John C. O’Connor and Ralph M. Yeager.

Identifier

86.399

Rights

This image is posted publicly for non-profit educational uses, excluding printed publication. Other uses are not permitted.