Mid-19th Century Art

Up for sale here is a really impressive mid 19th century painting. Very fine quality and great color! Unsigned. Framed. Image size, 13 by 17.

Portrait of Man with Pipe is a superb color woodblock print on paper, from the Japanese print-series “Taiheiki eiyu den”, 'Tale of Grand Pacification', designed by Utagawa Kuniyoshi ...

This ceramic dish was made by an unknown Chinese artist in the 1860s. It features sepia designs on a white background. The dish has a 5 1/4" diameter.

This is an original 19th century duotone lithograph entitled "The Letter-Writer" by David Roberts, from his Egypt and Nubia volumes of the large folio edition, published in London by...

Edwin Henry Boddington Canvas Size: 20 x 32" (51 x 81cm) Outside Frame Size: 29 x 41" (74 x 104cm) A very good and typical example of his work which has been relined for preservation only. He lived 1836 - 1905 Landscape and River Scene Painter. Son of Henry John Boddington, he painted mainly scenes of the Thames. He developed a very personal and recognisable style. His river scenes are usually painted in a pale evening light, using a range of very dark greens and browns. Address: Lonsdale Villa, Barnes, London 6 Upper Ranalagh Place, Pimlico, London Exhibited 1853 – 1869 Exhibited at:- British Institution, London Portland Gallery, London Royal Academy Royal Society of British Artists The following works were exhibited at the Royal Academy: On the River Lodden 1854 On the Welsh Hills...

David Hardy was an English genre painter who exhibited from 1855 -1870 in various English galleries such as the British Institute, the Suffolk Street Gallery, and one example at the ...

This duotone tinted lithograph with additional hand-coloring is entitled "Christian Church of St. George, at Lud Ancient, Lydda". It was drawn by Davi...

This is a hand-colored engraving depicting the natural history of moths and a lady bug, which is plate 22 from Moses Harris' publication "The Aurelian: or Natural History of English Insects; Namely Moths & Butterflies", first published in London in 1766 and this from an 1840 edition. The engraving depicts the natural history developmental stages of the Burnished Brass Moth, the Dark Gothic...

This is an original John James Audubon hand-colored royal first octavo edition lithograph entitled "Red-shafted Woodpecker, 1. Male, 2. Female", No. 55, P...

This is an original rare and extremely collectible 1st royal octavo edition John James Audubon hand-colored royal octavo lithograph entitled "American Swan", No. 77, Plate 384, from Audubon's "Birds of America". It was lithographed, printed and colored by J. T. Bowen and published in Philadelphia between 1840-1844. It depicts an adult white American Swan swimming in a body of water. Plants with yellow flowers are in the foreground and hills are in the background. This original rare first edition hand-colored Audubon bird lithograph has a mildly wavy lower edge of the paper where it was previously bound. It is otherwise in excellent condition. The sheet measures 6.63" x 10.13". The original text pages 226-234 are included. John James Audubon (1785-1851) was a naturalist and artist. He was initially unsuccessful financially prior to the publication of his famous work “The Birds of America”, spending time in debtor’s prison, once stabbing a disgruntled investor in self-defense. However, his obsession with birds and art motivated him to persist in his goal of documenting every bird in America via his watercolor paintings and publishing his works for all to enjoy. Audubon's first illustrations were published in a large elephant folio size. Due to their expense they were purchased in rather small numbers by the wealthy. To reach a larger audience, Audubon, with the help of his sons and J. T. Bowen, published a smaller octavo sized lithograph version, which were much more affordable. With the success of his bird projects, Audubon then turned his attention to four-legged animals. He explored the Missouri River in 1843 sketching the four-legged animals he encountered in their natural setting. His expedition covered some of the same regions recently explored by Lewis and Clark, traveling from present day Alaska to Mexico. Audubon realized that this was an opportunity to document these animals in the still relatively pristine American wilderness, before man encroached on their environment. Between 1845 and 1848, Audubon and his sons John Woodhouse Audubon and Victor Gifford Audubon produced a set of elephant folio sized lithographs that were primarily engraved and hand colored by J. T. Bowen in Philadelphia. The publication, which included text descriptions of the animals was published 3 years before Audubon died. As with the birds, this was followed by a three-volume set of 155 octavo-sized plates entitled “The Quadrupeds of North America” completed and published by Audubon’s sons, John, Jr. and Victor. Audubon prints continue to be popular and a wise investment. The double elephant folio set...

Colored lithograph with pouchoir details. Beautiful satiric illustration by the French draftsman Paul Gavarni (alias Guillaume Sulpice Chevalier, 1804-1866). Plate 58, from the ser...

This is an original John James Audubon hand-colored royal octavo lithograph entitled "Washington Sea Eagle", No. 3, Plate 13, from Audubon's "Birds of America". It was lithographed, printed and colored by J. T. Bowen and published in Philadelphia between 1856-1871. It depicts an adult male sea eagle perched on a rock. This is an excerpt from Audubon's own description of this magnificent eagle, which includes how he came up with the name "Washington Sea Eagle": "The name which I have chosen for this new species of Eagle, “The Bird of Washington,” may, by some, be considered as preposterous and unfit; but as it is indisputably the noblest bird of its genus that has yet been discovered in the United States, I trust I shall be allowed to honour it with the name of one yet nobler, who was the saviour of his country, and whose name will ever be dear, to it. To those who may be curious to know my reasons, I can only say, that, as the new world gave me birth and liberty, the great man who ensured its independence is next to my heart. He had a nobility of mind, and a generosity of soul, such as are seldom possessed. He was brave, so is the Eagle; like it, too, he was the terror of his foes; and his fame, extending from pole to pole, resembles the majestic soarings of the mightiest of the feathered tribe...

'Dendrobium Albo-Sanguineum – White and Sanguine Dendrobium' Orchid lithograph with original hand-colouring , 1859, by Walter Hood Fitch (1817-1892). 25c...

Japanese woodblock print of a woman kneeling by the river. She is holding a stick making it appear like she is fishing with it. The woodblock print is printed on rice paper. The print is not framed. Artist Biography: Utagawa Kuniyasu...

An original rare and extremely collectible first edition John James Audubon hand colored royal octavo lithograph entitled "Trumpeter Swan, Young", No. 7...

Oil on canvas Property from a Southampton Estate Sotheby's, June 13, 1985 Measurements image size: 38 by 49 1/2 inches; overall: 49 by 60 1/2 inches Painting has been restore...

This is an original 19th century duotone lithograph entitled "Side View of the Great Sphinx" by David Roberts, from his Egypt and Nubia volumes of the large folio edition, published ...

'Burtonia Villosa - Villous Burtonia' Botanical lithograph of a Western Australian native plant with original hand-colouring , 1848, by Walter Hood Fitch (1817-1892). 235mm by 145m...

This expressive painting by Francis William Edmunds offers a compelling glimpse into 19th-century American genre painting, a field in which Edmunds was a recognized master. Known for...

This is an original 19th century John James Audubon hand colored lithograph entitled "Swamp Hare", No. 8, Plate XXXVII, 37, from Audubon's "Quadrupeds...

This is a framed original 19th century hand-colored folio-sized lithograph entitled “Cacatua Ophthalimica” (Blue-eyed Cockatoo) by John Gould, from the supplement to his "Birds of Australia", published in London between 1851 and 1869. The print depicts a large blue-eyed cockatoo perched on a branch, with its head turned to the left. The scene is enhanced with leaves and sky and clouds in the background. This striking framed Gould...

"Young woman at the piano" - "Junge Frau am Klavier", oil painting on canvas by a Spanish artist Joseph Sintes About the artwork: TECHNIQUE: oil painting Edition : Unique, signed ...

Man from Puebla is an original hand-watercolored lithograph on ivory paper by Anonymous Artist of 19th Century, in 1849. In excellent conditions: As good as new. Not signed. Title...

Wrestlers. Patinated bronze, h 39 cm + 4 cm pedestal, w 46 cm l 27 cm Ferdinand Barbedienne (1810–1892)

This is a framed original 19th century hand-colored folio-sized lithograph entitled “Ciconia Alba” (A family of storks) by John Gould, from the supplement to his "Birds of Great Brit...

Antique Bronze Dog Portrait “La Levrette au Papillon” or “Whippet (Greyhound) with a Butterfly”   Arthur Waagen (Germany, France 1833-1898) Circa 1860’s 11 x 8 x 4  inches (2of 2. No...

Majestic Painting Of Beetle Painter is an original lithograph on ivory-colored paper realized by J.J. Grandville from Scènes de la vie privée et publique des animaux, 1852. Published...

'The Fountain of Job', tinted lithograph after David Roberts RA. Signed in stone lower right. Printed title below the image. Roberts travelled throug...

This is an original 19th century 1st octavo edition John James Audubon hand-colored lithograph entitled "American Bittern, 1. Male 2. Female", No. 73, Plate 365 from Audubon's "Birds of America, lithographed, printed and colored by J. T. Bowen and published in Philadelphia between 1840-1844. It depicts male and female American Bittern birds standing on the ground, each looking in opposite directions. There is high grass in the background. This original 1st octavo edition hand-colored Audubon American Bittern lithograph is in excellent condition, other than a few tiny spots, which appear most likely inclusions related to the paper manufacture. The sheet measures 6.5" high by 10.25" wide. The original text pages, 94-98, from Audubon's 19th century publication are included with the lithograph. John James Audubon (1785-1851) was a naturalist and artist. He was initially unsuccessful financially prior to the publication of his famous work “The Birds of America”, spending time in debtor’s prison, once stabbing a disgruntled investor in self-defense. However, his obsession with birds and art motivated him to persist in his goal of documenting every bird in America via his watercolor paintings and publishing his works for all to enjoy. Audubon's first illustrations were published in a large elephant folio...

The present hand-colored lithograph was produced as part of the funeral and mourning culture in the United States during the 19th century. Images like this were popular as ways of remembering loved ones, an alternative to portraiture of the deceased. This lithograph shows a man, woman and child in morning clothes next to an urn-topped stone monument. Behind are additional putto-topped headstones beneath weeping willows, with a steepled church beyond. The monument contains a space where a family could inscribe the name and death dates of a deceased loved one. In this case, it has been inscribed to a young Civil War soldier: William W. Peabody Died at Fairfax Seminary, VA December 18th, 1864 Aged 18 years The young Mr. Peabody probably died in service for the Union during the American Civil War. Farifax Seminary was a Union hospital and military headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia. The hospital served nearly two thousand soldiers during the war time. Five hundred were also buried on the Seminary's grounds. 13.75 x 9.5 inches, artwork 23 x 19 inches, frame Published before 1864 Inscribed bottom center "Lith. & Pub. by N. Currier. 2 Spruce St. N.Y." Framed to conservation standards using 100 percent rag matting and TruVue Conservation Clear glass, housed in a gold gilded moulding. Nathaniel Currier was a tall introspective man with a melancholy nature. He could captivate people with his piercing stare or charm them with his sparkling blue eyes. Nathaniel was born in Roxbury, Massachusetts on March 27th, 1813, the second of four children. His parents, Nathaniel and Hannah Currier, were distant cousins who lived a humble yet spartan life. When Nathaniel was eight years old, tragedy struck. Nathaniel’s father unexpectedly passed away leaving Nathaniel and his eleven-year-old brother Lorenzo to provide for the family. In addition to their mother, Nathaniel and Lorenzo had to care for six-year-old sister Elizabeth and two-year-old brother Charles. Nathaniel worked a series of odd jobs to support the family, and at fifteen, he started what would become a life-long career when he apprenticed in the Boston lithography shop of William and John Pendleton. A Bavarian gentleman named Alois Senefelder invented lithography just 30 years prior to young Nat Currier’s apprenticeship. While under the employ of the brothers Pendleton, Nat was taught the art of lithography by the firm’s chief printer, a French national named Dubois, who brought the lithography trade to America. Lithography involves grinding a piece of limestone flat and smooth then drawing in mirror image on the stone with a special grease pencil. After the image is completed, the stone is etched with a solution of aqua fortis leaving the greased areas in slight relief. Water is then used to wet the stone and greased-ink is rolled onto the raised areas. Since grease and water do not mix, the greased-ink is repelled by the moisture on the stone and clings to the original grease pencil lines. The stone is then placed in a press and used as a printing block to impart black on white images to paper. In 1833, now twenty-years old and an accomplished lithographer, Nat Currier left Boston and moved to Philadelphia to do contract work for M.E.D. Brown, a noted engraver and printer. With the promise of good money, Currier hired on to help Brown prepare lithographic stones of scientific images for the American Journal of Sciences and Arts. When Nat completed the contract work in 1834, he traveled to New York City to work once again for his mentor John Pendleton, who was now operating his own shop located at 137 Broadway. Soon after the reunion, Pendleton expressed an interest in returning to Boston and offered to sell his print shop to Currier. Young Nat did not have the financial resources to buy the shop, but being the resourceful type he found another local printer by the name of Stodart. Together they bought Pendleton’s business. The firm ‘Currier & Stodart’ specialized in "job" printing. They produced many different types of printed items, most notably music manuscripts for local publishers. By 1835, Stodart was frustrated that the business was not making enough money and he ended the partnership, taking his investment with him. With little more than some lithographic stones, and a talent for his trade, twenty-two year old Nat Currier set up shop in a temporary office at 1 Wall Street in New York City. He named his new enterprise ‘N. Currier, Lithographer’ Nathaniel continued as a job printer and duplicated everything from music sheets to architectural plans. He experimented with portraits, disaster scenes and memorial prints, and any thing that he could sell to the public from tables in front of his shop. During 1835 he produced a disaster print Ruins of the Planter's Hotel, New Orleans, which fell at two O’clock on the Morning of the 15th of May 1835, burying 50 persons, 40 of whom Escaped with their Lives. The public had a thirst for newsworthy events, and newspapers of the day did not include pictures. By producing this print, Nat gave the public a new way to “see” the news. The print sold reasonably well, an important fact that was not lost on Currier. Nat met and married Eliza Farnsworth in 1840. He also produced a print that same year titled Awful Conflagration of the Steamboat Lexington in Long Island Sound on Monday Evening, January 18, 1840, by which melancholy occurrence over One Hundred Persons Perished. This print sold out very quickly, and Currier was approached by an enterprising publication who contracted him to print a single sheet addition of their paper, the New York Sun. This single page paper is presumed to be the first illustrated newspaper ever published. The success of the Lexington print launched his career nationally and put him in a position to finally lift his family up. In 1841, Nat and Eliza had their first child, a son they named Edward West Currier. That same year Nat hired his twenty-one year old brother Charles and taught him the lithography trade, he also hired his artistically inclined brother Lorenzo to travel out west and make sketches of the new frontier as material for future prints. Charles worked for the firm on and off over the years, and invented a new type of lithographic crayon which he patented and named the Crayola. Lorenzo continued selling sketches to Nat for the next few years. In 1843, Nat and Eliza had a daughter, Eliza West Currier, but tragedy struck in early 1847 when their young daughter died from a prolonged illness. Nat and Eliza were grief stricken, and Eliza, driven by despair, gave up on life and passed away just four months after her daughter’s death. The subject of Nat Currier’s artwork changed following the death of his wife and daughter, and he produced many memorial prints and sentimental prints during the late 1840s. The memorial prints generally depicted grief stricken families posed by gravestones (the stones were left blank so the purchasers could fill in the names of the dearly departed). The sentimental prints usually depicted idealized portraits of women and children, titled with popular Christian names of the day. Late in 1847, Nat Currier married Lura Ormsbee, a friend of the family. Lura was a self-sufficient woman, and she immediately set out to help Nat raise six-year-old Edward and get their house in order. In 1849, Lura delivered a son, Walter Black Currier, but fate dealt them a blow when young Walter died one year later. While Nat and Lura were grieving the loss of their new son, word came from San Francisco that Nat’s brother Lorenzo had also passed away from a brief illness. Nat sank deeper into his natural quiet melancholy. Friends stopped by to console the couple, and Lura began to set an extra place at their table for these unexpected guests. She continued this tradition throughout their lives. In 1852, Charles introduced a friend, James Merritt Ives, to Nat and suggested he hire him as a bookkeeper. Jim Ives was a native New Yorker born in 1824 and raised on the grounds of Bellevue Hospital where his father was employed as superintendent. Jim was a self-trained artist and professional bookkeeper. He was also a plump and jovial man, presenting the exact opposite image of his new boss. Jim Ives met Charles Currier through Caroline Clark, the object of Jim’s affection. Caroline’s sister Elizabeth was married to Charles, and Caroline was a close friend of the Currier family. Jim eventually proposed marriage to Caroline and solicited an introduction to Nat Currier, through Charles, in hopes of securing a more stable income to support his future wife. Ives quickly set out to improve and modernize his new employer’s bookkeeping methods. He reorganized the firm’s sizable inventory, and used his artistic skills to streamline the firm’s production methods. By 1857, Nathaniel had become so dependent on Jims’ skills and initiative that he offered him a full partnership in the firm and appointed him general manager. The two men chose the name ‘Currier & Ives’ for the new partnership, and became close friends. Currier & Ives produced their prints in a building at 33 Spruce Street where they occupied the third, fourth and fifth floors. The third floor was devoted to the hand operated printing presses that were built by Nat's cousin, Cyrus Currier, at his shop Cyrus Currier & Sons in Newark, NJ. The fourth floor found the artists, lithographers and the stone grinders at work. The fifth floor housed the coloring department, and was one of the earliest production lines in the country. The colorists were generally immigrant girls, mostly German, who came to America with some formal artistic training. Each colorist was responsible for adding a single color to a print. As a colorist finished applying their color, the print was passed down the line to the next colorist to add their color. The colorists worked from a master print displayed above their table, which showed where the proper colors were to be placed. At the end of the table was a touch up artist who checked the prints for quality, touching-in areas that may have been missed as it passed down the line. During the Civil War, demand for prints became so great that coloring stencils were developed to speed up production. Although most Currier & Ives prints were colored in house, some were sent out to contract artists. The rate Currier & Ives paid these artists for coloring work was one dollar per one hundred small folios (a penny a print) and one dollar per one dozen large folios. Currier & Ives also offered uncolored prints to dealers, with instructions (included on the price list) on how to 'prepare the prints for coloring.' In addition, schools could order uncolored prints from the firm’s catalogue to use in their painting classes. Nathaniel Currier and James Merritt Ives attracted a wide circle of friends during their years in business. Some of their more famous acquaintances included Horace Greeley, Phineas T. Barnum, and the outspoken abolitionists Rev. Henry Ward, and John Greenleaf Whittier (the latter being a cousin of Mr. Currier). Nat Currier and Jim Ives described their business as "Publishers of Cheap and Popular Pictures" and produced many categories of prints. These included Disaster Scenes, Sentimental Images, Sports, Humor, Hunting Scenes, Politics, Religion, City and Rural Scenes, Trains, Ships, Fire Fighters, Famous Race Horses, Historical Portraits, and just about any other topic that satisfied the general public's taste. In all, the firm produced in excess of 7500 different titles, totaling over one million prints produced from 1835 to 1907. Nat Currier retired in 1880, and signed over his share of the firm to his son Edward. Nat died eight years later at his summer home 'Lion’s Gate' in Amesbury, Massachusetts. Jim Ives remained active in the firm until his death in 1895, when his share of the firm passed to his eldest son, Chauncey. In 1902, faced will failing health from the ravages of Tuberculosis, Edward Currier sold his share of the firm to Chauncey Ives...

"The Smoker" After Shakespeare's "The Taming Of The Shrew" Petruchio - Antique Lithograph Lithograph titled "The Smoker," after the character ...

This wonderful oil on board painting depicts an interior genre scene in the 19th-century manner. The viewer's eye is instantly drawn to the family interaction, while details like the...

Artist/ School/ Date: Douglas Stuart Allen (American/ French 1923-2021) American born artist from Chicago, retiring to France during his latter years to become a full time painter. Title: Lady Portrait Medium & Size: oil painting canvas: 35 x 26 inches Condition: the painting is very sound and good. Provenance: private collection, France The painting is for auction with no...

French 19' century painting oil on canvas . Young Venus nude figure surrounded by delicious playing putti . Finely carved and gilt-wood frame of the same period . Measurements w...

Beautiful original oil on canvas double portrait painting of a young boy and girl with cat (moist likely brother and sister) attributed to the hand of American artist, John Carlin. ...

William Fisk 1796 -1872, was an English born portrait and history painter. Although born in 1796 he didn't start his artistic career until after 1826, after the birth of his son Will...

Original Hamburg - Amerika linie, Hamburg America Line vintage travel by ship antique poster. Art Deco time frame vintage poster for traveling by cruise...

Narcisse Virgile Diaz de la Pena French, 1807-1876 Clairiere et Mare aux Viperes, Foret de Fontainebleau Oil on panel 7 1⁄4 x 10 1⁄2 inches (18.5 x 26.5 cm) 13 x 16 ½ inches (33 x...

Uses and Customs - Indian Rajah is a lithograph on paper realized in 1862. The artwork belongs to the Suite Uses and customs of all the peoples of the universe: " History of the gov...

Victorian 19th-century portrait of a seated English Flower Seller. This is a very pretty classic English Victorian Genre painting. The style ...

Spanish School of the 19th Century Santa Justa and Santa Rufina Oil on canvas 40 x 27 cm In quite good condition, the paint surface presents numerous crack...

This is a hand-colored engraving depicting the natural history of Pinkunderwing Moths, Cream Spotted Tyger Moths in their natural botanical environment, which is plate 4 from Moses H...

A astounding portrait of a society beauty by Adele Grasset (active ca 1830-1850). With an open face and and lightly smiling lips, she is wearing a gown typical of the romantic period. Drawn in graphite and heightened with white, the drawing is dated 1836 As often with woman artists of the 18th and 19th century, there is little biographical information available on Adèle Grasset. We do know however, that she had studied with the highly prominent artist François Gérard (1770-1837) , known also as the Baron Gérard...

French artist of the first half 19th century oil painting on canvas, unframed canvas: 12.5 x 9.5 inches provenance: private collection, France condition: overall very good - aging signs...

This is an original 19th century hand-colored McKenney and Hall lithograph of a Native American entitled "Foke-Luste-Hajo, A Seminole Chief, No. 84", published by Rice, Rutter & Co. ...

'Nablous, The Ancient Shechem', tinted lithograph after David Roberts RA. Signed in stone lower right. Printed title below the image. Roberts travell...

Jean-Victor ADAM known as Victor ADAM Paris, 1801 – Viroflay, 1866 Watercolor on paper 14 x 18.5 cm (30.5 x 34.5 cm with frame) Signed lower left “V. Adam” Framed Very beautiful wat...

Work on canvas

Fukuroi Dejaya No Zu (An Outdoor Tea Stall at Fukuroi), is a beautiful color woodblock print on paper, the plate n. 28 from the series Fifty-three Stations Along the Tokaido (Tokai...

Les Contes Drolatiques is an original modern rare book written by Honoré de Balzac (1799 – 1850) and illustrated by Gustave Doré (Strasbourg, 1832 – 23 January 1883) in 1861. Publis...

Charming work in the Regency style, mid 19th Century after Sir Thomas Lawrence. High quality painting. Old Christie's Stencil to verso. Would grace any home, suitable for contempor...

Very Rare Vesuvius lava stone writing set. Torre del Greco (Naples). 19th century. 4 objects with small sculptures (cameos) depicting the poet Petrarch, mythological female figures, ...

Engraving with original hand-colouring. 1834. 230mm by 155mm. From Paxton's 'Magazine of botany and register of flowering plants' by Sir Joseph Paxton.

Customs - Persian Kings is a lithograph on paper realized in 1862. Titled on the lower. The artwork belongs to the Suite Uses and customs of all the peoples of the universe: " Hist...

The Mouse is an original lithograph on ivory-colored paper, realized by Paul Gervais (1816-1879). The artwork is from The Series of "Les Trois Règnes de la Nature", and was published...

Engraving with original hand-colouring. 1834. 230mm by 155mm. From Paxton's 'Magazine of botany and register of flowering plants' by Sir Joseph Paxton.

Customs - Persian Deities is a lithograph on paper realized in 1862. Titled on the lower. The artwork belongs to the Suite Uses and customs of all the peoples of the universe: " Hi...

Classical 19th century French Nude of a lady in the Barbizon Forest landscape. Richet spent much of his adult life in Paris. It was there that he met and became a student of Jules L...

Wallpaper design by Josine Vignon (French 1922-2022) signed pastel/watercolor on paper, unframed painting: 16 x 16 inches good condition provenance: from the artists estate, France ...

Engraving with original hand-colouring. 1834. 230mm by 155mm. From Paxton's 'Magazine of botany and register of flowering plants' by Sir Joseph Paxton.