Trust Offers Exclusive French and Indian War Prints
Allegheny Land Trust is offering a very limited edition of prints by Pittsburgh artist Nat Youngblood depicting events of the French and Indian War. Each Giclée process print will be numbered and signed by the artist. This is an unique opportunity to commemorate Western Pennsylvania’s role in world history and, at the same time, support conservation of Western Pennsylvania land. All proceeds from the sale of prints support Allegheny Land Trust’s land conservation programs.
Not only do these seven prints depict historic scenes of regional forts, locations and events that lead to the founding of the City of Pittsburgh, they themselves are a part of that history. Read on to learn more about the paintings’ journey home to the Fort Pitt Museum, how they helped to conserve land on the way, and how you can help to conserve more land by purchasing this limited edition artwork portraying our region’s history.
The Paintings’ Journey
In 1968, Pittsburgh artist Nat Youngblood was commissioned to create a series of paintings for the Fort Pitt Museum scheduled to open in 1971. Nat collaborated with Charles Stotz, 
the principle architect of the entire Point State Park project, and other historians to convey with historical accuracy the unfolding drama of the British conquest of Fort Duquesne in 1758. Five of these seven paintings were subsequently photographed and used to create a narrative diorama. The sixth painting was a study for the original mural at the entrance to the museum which was later destroyed by floodwaters. A seventh painting, which depicts the arrival of the French at the Point in 1754, was never used in the museum or publicly displayed.
The original paintings were the property of the architectural firm Stotz, Hess and MacLachlan. They were put into storage and basically forgotten. When Mr. MacLachlan, father of ALT Board Member Rob MacLachlan, retired from the firm, he brought the paintings into the MacLachlan family and they eventually passed to Rob.
Because of the critical need to raise $230,000 in matching funds to purchase and conserve the 80-acre Wingfield Pines property located in southern Allegheny County, Rob MacLachlan donated the paintings to ALT. When the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission’s interest in exhibiting the original paintings within the new addition to the Fort Pitt Museum became known, Mellon Financial Corporation Foundation graciously purchased the paintings for $30,000 from ALT and in turn donated the paintings to the expanding Fort Pitt Museum scheduled to open in the Spring of 2004, just in time to commemorate the 250th Anniversary of the French and Indian War.
The Printing Process
Using the most advanced Giclée printing process, a digitally based method of reproducing images, a signed limited edition of prints has been made available to the public through the Allegheny Land Trust. 
This edition is limited to 75 signed prints per painting, far less than the usual 250-1000 copies artists have been previously forced to produce because of the economics of lithography, the former reproduction technology. Further more, the dyes used in the Giclée process are far longer lasting than those of lithography and the accuracy of reproduction is superior.
Please take a few minutes to view images of all the prints in this series along with brief notes about the events depicted. (Note that the colors reproduced on your computer screen may not match exactly those in the actual prints.)
If you would like to view the prints in person, please visit the World West Galleries at 56 North Main Street in Washington, PA.
How to Purchase
While other Youngblood prints sell for up to $450, this series is very reasonbly priced. The Entrance Mural Study (18" x 17") is priced at $135, the five full-sized prints (20" x 15") are $165 each, and Arrival of the French (26" x 19") is $185. The prints may be purchased individually or as a set. For information about multiple print discounts, please call the Trust at 412-741-2750 or to request more information.
You may order prints on line through our secure Click & Pledge service and pay for them by credit card or check. When your order is received, we’ll contact you to make pick-up or delivery arrangements. (In some cases, there may be an additional charge for delivery. Please call the Trust at 412-741-2750 for details.)
You may also purchase the prints at World West Galleries, 56 North Main Street in Washington, PA. Peter West, owner of the gallery, is selling them at the same price as the Trust, with all proceeds going to the Trust.
