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Lord-Hopkins Collection (Bowen pattern print), Audubon Original Imperial plate 125, American Marsh Shrew
Found in 1923 by Mary A. Guerrero Lord who was visiting her mother Henrietta Potter James, who owned a house on the corner of South 9th Street in Philadelphia and what is now known as Bonaparte Ct. Her home was the same home earlier rented by Joseph Bonaparte, Napoleon’s older brother and Audubon’s friend. These Imperial prints were abandoned in a back alley near the second studio that Bowen used in the 1800’s when producing Audubon’s birds and quadrupeds. They were bundled together with pattern prints from the Octavo series. We cannot definitively say why they were purposely kept for some time by Bowen, and perhaps forgotten after his death. We will provide a Certificate of Authenticity noting that they are part of the Lord-Hopkins collection - the last known prints to come from Bowen’s studio. These prints are part of American printmaking history. The condition, ranging from poor to fair, is not of prime concern, due to their historical value, but is consistent with well referenced pattern prints. We believe this American Marsh Shrew was the pattern print that the colorists strived to match when hand coloring plate 125. This is an unusual offer, as most prints of this sort are found only in museums. We suggest collectors frame this to archival standards.