Up For Auction: Flintlock Revolver, $1,000

Planning a day trip for September?

Consider checking out an upcoming auction at West Point, which will feature the work of John Hill, a nineteenth-century West Nyack engraver who moved here from London.

Hill, who spent the last 13 years of his life in Rockland County before his death in 1850, will be featured among other artists and artifacts at a Military and Naval History Auction.

The auction—which will include an extremely rare first version Confederate flag—is scheduled to run from Sept. 11 to Sept. 12 at the Hotel Thayer (on the grounds of the West Point Military Academy). It begins Saturday, Sept. 11 at 6 p.m. and Sunday, Sept. 12 at noon.

Some items are priced for the history enthusiast with a tight budget (you can grab a silk weaving of European royalty for as little as $100), and other are a bit more expensive (an antique pistol may go for over $1,000).

Much of Hill's work is captures views of the Hudson River. It's all reported in fine shape—and running for as much as $3,000 (and that's just the starting bid).

Hill—a transplanted Londoner and father of six—was born in 1770 and apprenticed as a youth to an engraver in London. He became interested in the process of aquatinting, where a metal plate is etched multiple times in a row. It creates a product that is easier to hand-color.

When Hill moved to the United States in 1816, aquatinting was a little-known art form in the States—he quickly became the best-known artist of the medium. 

While in New York City, Hill created the Hudson River Portfolio, which featured several views of New York State villages, metropolises and landscapes. Hill's reputation and business flourished during his career, and he created and sold single engravings, sporting prints, and illustrated his own drawing book.

In 1837, Hill and his wife moved to Rockland, where they had purchased land in West Nyack.