New Castle Waterfront (circa 1830)
Robert Shaw (1859-1912)
With permission Historical Society of Delaware
This lovely watercolor made available as a print by the Historical Society of Delaware was painted by Shaw c1895 The buildings with steeples are readily recognizable: the courthouse with a single addition, the town hall and Immanuel church (whose steeple was completed after 1820 remodeling). Shaw created many paintings of historic Delaware. He is said to have been accurate in his rendering of the landscape. However, the courthouse had two wings in 1830, the van Leuvenigh house and Presbyterian Church are missing, the Immanuel Church is relocated, the beach in the foreground and the houses with galleries to the right of the Delaware street wharf may be the artist's fancy to say nothing of the color of the river. Of note in the enlarged image is the side paddle-wheel steamer at about the level of Packet Alley.