The most frequently asked question in the museum gallery is “do you have a bathroom?” The second most asked question is “what is your favorite thing in the exhibition?” I know I am asked that every time I’m leading a tour. The Museum Guides agree. I usually respond with something I didn’t have time to include on the tour but wanted to. However, I do have a true favorite thing in the exhibition. It's the mural in the entrance based on “An East Perspective View of Philadelphia.”
Why is this my favorite thing in the exhibition? Because it reveals so much about Revolutionary Philadelphia in this one eye-catching image. To orient you, this drawing, printed in 1778 in London, looks west at the city of Philadelphia from the New Jersey side of the Delaware River.
Look closely at the either version provided here. What are some of the first things you notice? The ships? The river? What about all those church steeples? Look to the left–yes, that is a windmill in the middle of the Delaware River (we’ll get to that later).
But, let’s start with the river. It takes up nearly one third of the image. Why do you think that might be?
One clue is, of course, all the ships. Philadelphia was a major port in the Atlantic trade network. Goods from all over the British Empire made their way to Philadelphia. You can find several examples of these goods throughout the exhibition. Next time you visit us look for the tea set on display. This is an excellent example of how Philadelphia fit into this network. The tea pot is from England, the cup and saucer are from China. Both were used for drinking tea grown in India that was sweetened with sugar from the Caribbean.
As you might imagine, ship building was a key industry in one of the busiest ports along the East Coast. It was made possible by locally available wood and a textile industry. Philadelphia was also known for related businesses like cabinet and furniture making, papermaking, and printing.
Along with the imported goods also came information. Philadelphia was a hub for information sharing. Print shops communicated news from abroad swiftly in newspapers and broadsides. These would be shared in the coffee shops and other gathering places across the city. Printers in Philadelphia often shared news with printers in other cities. This spread important information through the colonies quickly and was key to uniting the colonies.
Philadelphia was important because of its port and connection to wider networks.
There is an interesting shadow cast on the New Jersey side. Metaphorically, it seems to me to hint at the ominous presence of the war. In January of 1778, when this was printed, Philadelphia was still occupied by the British army.
The largest portion of the image is the sky, which is nearly half the picture. Looking at the sky, what kind of impression does this sky give to you?
To me it looks like a sunset sky with the orange glow close to the city skyline and darkening blue above. But, it’s not an ominous sunset that invokes a feeling of closure or sadness. To me it is a positive, hopeful sunset. The sunsetting on the old identity (a British colony) with the hope of rising again on the new (independent state).
Finally, let’s look at the city of Philadelphia itself. What stands out to you in the cityscape? What are some of the things you notice about it?
See how the city continues beyond the frame of the image along the riverbank? To me it suggests the expanse of the city. It was the largest city in British North America, and then the largest city in the new United States. It could not be contained in a single image.
I also notice all the steeples. As a city of immigrants, Philadelphia was also a city of diverse religions. Pennsylvania was founded as a safe haven for Quakers, a minority Christian denomination from England. Its religious tolerance also attracted other groups, like Lutherans, Methodists, Catholics, and Jews.
Not all the steeples are churches. Numbers 2 and 6 are the State House (now Independence Hall) and the Court House. Philadelphia was the capital of both the Pennsylvania state government and the new United States government. Another important part of Revolutionary Philadelphia’s identity was as a place for learning. Number 3 is the Academy. This was a secondary school founded alongside the College of Philadelphia (later the University of Pennsylvania).
As you can see, this stunning image represents the importance of Revolutionary Philadelphia. If you haven’t visited the exhibition—Philadelphia, The Revolutionary City—yet, don’t miss your chance to study this scene up close for yourself. The exhibition will be open Thursdays through Sundays, 10 AM – 5 PM, through the end of December.
As for that windmill, there was in fact an island in the Delaware called Windmill Island. It had a windmill, probably for milling grain. Anyone who has ever stood on the banks of the Delaware can confirm that it is a great place for a windmill. This island was eventually removed when the river was dredged in the 19th century to accommodate larger ships.