William Russell Birch (1755–1843) had already made a name for himself as an enamel painter and engraver in England when he emigrated to Philadelphia, then the nation's capital, in 1794. Here, he quickly established himself as the preeminent portraitist of the city's notable architecture with his book of 27 engravings, The City of Philadelphia as it Appeared in the Year 1800 — also known as Birch's Views of Philadelphia.