Bidspirit auction | 1864 James Queen, Buildings of

1864 James Queen, Buildings of the Great Central Fair, Logan Square, Philadelphia, - This large-scale 1864 chromolithograph, titled Buildings of the Great Central Fair, provides a panoramic bird's-eye view of Logan Square in Philadelphia. Created during the American Civil War in aid of the U.S. Sanitary Commission, the image captures the extensive temporary fair structures, including the central tent-like Union Avenue pavilion, with the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul prominently featured in the background. The street-level foreground is bustling with horse-drawn carriages, streetcars, and pedestrians. The print is on a heavy paper substrate and features several inscriptions in the lower margin. It is attributed to artist James Queen, who is noted as having drawn the scene from nature and on stone. The printing is credited to the firm of P.S. Duval & Son of Philadelphia, and H.E. Wrigley is identified as the architect. The work is housed in a period dark-toned wood frame with multiple molded ridges. A label on the reverse indicates the piece was framed by Winchell's in Ridgewood, New Jersey. Framed dimensions: 34 inches by 21 inches. The paper substrate exhibits overall browning and significant foxing, with the heaviest concentration in the lower margin. Large areas of moisture staining and associated discoloration are present in both lower corners and along the bottom edge. There are visible handling creases throughout the composition and a small rectangular repair or tape mark on the center-left edge. The frame shows multiple surface abrasions, scuffs, and missing finish on its edges. The dust cover on the reverse is torn and brittle.