Mid-19th Century Art

Leith Pier and Harbour is an etching realized in 1845 by William Henry Bartlett. Signed on the plate. Titled on the lower center. Good condi...

Amusing original colored lithograph with pouchoir details. Satiric illustration by Frédéric Bouchot (1798- 1865), published on Souvenirs Grotesques, d'Aubert and Cie Publishing, P...

Colored lithograph with pouchoir details. Beautiful satiric illustration by the French draftsman Paul Gavarni (alias Guillaume Sulpice Chevalier, 1804-1866). Plate 46, from the ser...

A delicate portrait of a gentleman in a red velvet waistcoat smoking a cigar. The artist has captured his striking face and bright blue eyes with fine detail. Well presented in an or...

Since the 12th century, people in China have used folding screens and doors to partition and decorate their homes - the vivid scenes backing the screens added life and color to a roo...

Aux Environs de Paris is a black and White etching realized by Maxime Lalanne in the 1860s.  Titled in the lower Image Size: 32x23 Very good impression. Realized for the "Société...

Uses and Customs -Architecture 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 gove...

Persian Dervish is a lithograph made by Auguste Wahlen in 1844. Hand colored. Good condition. At the center of the artwork is the original title "Derviche persan". The work is pa...

Views in Rome, drawn and engraved by Bartolomeo Pinelli, of Rome, London, W.B. Cooke, 1834. In-8° (cm 24x17). Unumered pages with 27 b/w plates out of the text, etchings on copper with tissue paper. Polished speciment, with diffused foxing on margins. Brown Canvas Binding Cover with title marked in gold on wedge in the spine. Spine ligtly damaged in lower margin. Cover with the Castle Saint Angel...

Mausoleum of the Knights 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 government...

Grand Theatre of Trieste 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 government...

Architectural Design  is a lithograph on paper realized in the 19th Century. Good conditions with slight foxing.

Landing of the French in Africa is an original hand-colored lithograph on paper realized in 1846 by an Anonymous artist of the XIX century. Titled on the lower center "I Francesi S...

Napoleonic Battle is an Etching realized by Horace Vernet in 1837. Good conditions. The artwork is realized in a well-balanced composition. the artwork and belongs to the suite sui...

Castel-Campo in Tyrol 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 government, o...

Muertos recogidos is an original artwork realized by the great Spanish artist Francisco Goya in 1810. Original Etching on paper. The artwork belongs to the famous series "Los Desastres de la...

Artist: John Gould (English, 1804-1881) Title: "Myzanthe Ignipectus (Fire-breasted Flowerpecker)" (Vol. 2, Plate 40) Portfolio: The Birds of Asia Year: 1850-1883 Medium: Original Hand-Colored Lithograph on wove paper Limited edition: approx. 235 Printer: Hullmandel & Walton, T. Walter or Walter & Cohn, London, UK Publisher: Taylor and Francis, John Gould, London, UK Reference: Anker No. 178; Nissen No. IVB 368; Sauer No. 17, Zimmer page 258; Wood page 365; Sitwell page 102 Sheet size: 21.38" x 14.57" Image size: 16" x 9.75" Condition: Light toning to sheet. Has been professionally stored away for decades. In excellent condition with strong colors Extremely rare Notes: Provenance: private collection - Aspen, CO. Lithography and hand-coloring by John Gould and English artist Henry Constantine Richter (1821-1902). Comes from Gould's seven volume "The Birds of Asia", (1850-1883) (First edition), which consists of 530 hand-colored lithographs. Other contributing lithographers were German artist Joseph Wolf (1820-1899) and Irish artist William Hart (1830-1908). "The Birds of Asia" was Gould's last work before his death. Gold gilded edges as issued. The fire-breasted flowerpecker is a species of bird in the family Dicaeidae found in the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia. Like other flowerpeckers, this tiny bird feeds on fruits and plays an important role in the dispersal of fruiting plants. Biography: John Gould FRS (14 September 1804 – 3 February 1881) was an English ornithologist and bird artist. He published a number of monographs on birds, illustrated by plates that he produced with the assistance of his wife, Elizabeth Gould, and several other artists including Edward Lear, Henry Constantine Richter, Joseph Wolf and William Matthew Hart. He has been considered the father of bird study in Australia and the Gould League in Australia is named after him. His identification of the birds now nicknamed "Darwin's finches" played a role in the inception of Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection. Gould's work is referenced in Charles Darwin's book, "On the Origin of Species".

Colored lithograph with pouchoir details. Beautiful satiric illustration by the French draftsman Paul Gavarni (alias Guillaume Sulpice Chevalier Gavarni, 1804-1866). Plate 25, from...

The custody is as barbarous as the crime (Tan barbara la seguridad como el delito) is an artwork realied by Francisco Goya y Lucientes, 1867. Paris: Delâtre, 1867. Etching and burin. cm. 10.5x8.4.Sheet 21x16.2. Excellent proof of III state and first edition after the appearance of the letter and the bevel of the plate, published in the Gazette des Beau-Arts, vol. XXII, p. 196. Ref. Harris 26 Intact sheet with wide margins. Slight exposure yellowing around image. Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes (Fuendetodos, March 30, 1746 - Bordeaux, April 16, 1828) was a Spanish painter and engraver. Considered the pioneer of modern art, he was one of the greatest Spanish painters who lived between the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. His paintings, drawings and etchings of him reflected the ongoing historical upheavals and influenced the most important contemporary and following century painters. Goya is often referred to as the last of the old masters and the first of the moderns. Born into a middle-class family in 1746 in Aragon, he was a pupil of painting from the age of 14 to José Luzán y Martínez, later moving to Madrid to study with Anton Raphael Mengs. In 1786 he became court painter to the Spanish crown and this first part of his career was characterized by numerous portraits of members of the Spanish aristocracy and royal family, as well as by the production of rococo tapestries for the royal palace. In 1793 he suffered from an undiagnosed serious illness which left him deaf, after which his work became progressively darker and more pessimistic. His subsequent paintings seem to reflect a bleak vision of existence, which contrasts with his resounding social ascent: in 1799, in fact, he became Primer Pintor de Cámara (First Court Painter), the highest rank for a Spanish court painter . In late 1799, commissioned by Godoy, he completed his Maja desnuda, a remarkably bold nude for the time and clearly inspired by the style of Diego Velázquez. In the early 19th century he painted The Family of Charles IV, again influenced by Velázquez. In 1807, Napoleon led the Grand Army in the Peninsular War against Spain. During the conflict Goya remained in Madrid and, although he never expressed his thoughts in public, it seems that these facts affected him deeply, as can be seen from some of his works such as The Disasters of War, The 2nd of May 1808, The 3rd May 1808. Other works of his maturity include a wide variety of paintings concerning madness, asylums, witches, fantastic creatures, and religious and political corruption, which suggest that he feared for his mental and physical health. His later period culminates with the Black Paintings of 1819-1823, made in the Quinta del Sordo, his home on the outskirts of Madrid where he lived, disillusioned by political and social developments in Spain, in a situation of almost isolation. Finally, in 1824, Goya decided to abandon Spain to retire to the French city of Bordeaux...

The Bat 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 i...

Soldier is a modern artwork realized by Isidore Pils in the Mid-19th Century. Pencil drawing. Good conditions.

Naturel de l'Ile Saritcheff is an hand colored lithographs realized by Auguste Wahlen in 1844. Good conditions. The artwork belongs to the Suite Moeurs, usages et costumes de tous ...

Style of Richard Brakenburgh (Dutch 1650-1702) and painted circa 1820. Unsigned. Displayed in a shot silk mat with gilded slip within an 18th centu...

Jean Henry Lebeillé is an original Lithograph realized by Denis Auguste Marie Raffet in 1848. Hand-signed and dated with pencil by the artist on the lower ...

French school of the 19th century Oil on canvas 24 x 32 cm (37 x 45 cm with the frame) Mark of the canvas merchant "Binant" (Active in Paris between 1820 and 1859) Very good conditio...

Caricatures is an original pencil drawing on paper of XIX century realized by Horace Vernet. Very good conditions, except for a stain on the left margin...

Japanese Rider is a lithograph made by Auguste Wahlen in 1844. Hand colored.  Good condition.  At the center of the artwork is the original title "Cavalier Japonais".  The work i...

"Deer Shooting in the Northern Woods" is an original hand-colored lithograph by Currier & Ives. It depicts a landscape with a hunter aiming his gun at a deer on a winter day. 10" x 14" art 19 1/2" x 23 1/4" frame 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. In 1907, faced with competitive pressures from advancements in offset printing and photo engraving, Chauncey closed the venerable lithography business and sold the printing equipment and lithographic stones to his shop foreman, Daniel W. Logan. Nathaniel Currier and James Merritt Ives are laid to rest along with their families at the Greenwood Cemetery...

Image dimensions: 17.6 x 24.4 cm. Colberg is a beautiful color lithograph on paper, printed by von Led Kempner and published by von Schaffstein and C. Koln, Rhein. This modern art...

Rienz, inspiré de Ribera is a wonderful etching realized in 1868 by Charles Jacque (1813-1894). This is the fifth plate from a suite of eight etchings inspi...

Porta Angelica is an original black and white etching on paper, realized by Alessandro Moschetti. At the top left margin the printed inscription: "ITALIA"; top center: "Roma"; top r...

An attractive mid 19th century watercolour depicting a river landscape with figures conversing by the water. To the foreground stands a single fisherman watching boats as they sail d...

A fine 19th century watercolour by David Cox Snr depicting women returning from harvesting hay. Both carry large bales on their backs as they make their way across a small stream. We...

Presented in an ornate gilt effect frame and washline mount. Signed. On watercolour paper.

WILLIAM WILLIAMS, 1808 - 1895 A Plymouth artist of local views and maritime subjects, in many Museums and and Art Galleries. Signed with initials and dated (18)'65 Original oil on b...

Kurdish is a lithograph made by Auguste Wahlen in 1844. Hand colored. Good condition. At the center of the artwork is the original title "Kurde". The work is part of Suite Moeurs...

Saint Micheal Temple, Pavia 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 governm...

Thoughtful Woman is an original artwork realized in the XIX century by Auguste Bigand. Original black and white watercolor. Hand-signed on the lower-left corner. Dedication on the back This beautiful watercolor represents a portrait of a woman with thoughtful expression resting next to a column. Auguste Bigand (Champlan 1803 - Versailles 1875) son of Pierre-Louis Bigand and Marie-Sophie d...

Margot la critique is an originaletching on Chine collé, realized by Frenc artist Félix Henri Bracquemond published in L’Artiste in 1854. In good conditions. This Etching is Re...

Uses and Customs - Cathedral of Monza 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 t...

Feast Of Divinity is an Etching realized by Domenico Klemi Bonatti in the 1850s. Signed on the plate. Good condition with folding and foxing on margins. Domenico Klemi Bonatti (Ve...

This mid 19th Century, 25" x 30", oil on canvas, Folk Art hunting scene was painted in 1852, and signed and dated by an illegible artist. It is framed in a reproduction wood frame.

Clement Drew grew up in Kingston, Massachusetts, a coastal New England town. Early on he settled into a career as a marine painter. He augmented his income by working in a number of ...

Abduction of Miss Gould Etching on copper. Image Dim:cm 11 x 9.2; Sheet Dim: cm 22 x 13.5. Passepartout Dim: cm 28.8 x 22 Title at the center. Signed on plate under the image: "PHIZ". From the series of 17 etchings on copper illustrating Charles Dickens's novels, published in London by "Thomas Tegg Cheapside" in XIX century. Browne Hablot Knight, alias Phiz, (Kensinghton 1815 - Brighton 1892) English painter, watercolorist and engraver. He illustrated books by Charles Dickens...

Lithograph realized by Daumier in 1845, belonging to the Series "Les Gens de Justice" Table no. 19 of the Series. Monogrammed in the plate. Very good condition. Ref. Delteil 1355

Belem Tower in Portugal is a lithograph realized in 1864. Good conditions. The artwork belongs to the Suite Uses and customs of all the peoples of the universe, or History of the g...

Image dimensions: 24.3 x 17.5 cm. Single sheet with passepartout. "...The unhappy man had approached that mysterious spot where, amid a thousand aquatic plants, the Water-arrow grows." T. Delord. Les Fleurs animées...

Lithograph realized by Daumier in 1859. Belongs to the Series "Ces Bons Parisien". Ref. Delteil 3241 Very good condition

Sir Francis Seymour Haden (1818-1910. British) "Old Chelsea Church" Etching 1865 4 3/8" x 7 3/4" unframed 12.75" x 15.75" framed

The Brain Of Human VS The Brain Of Chimpanzee is an original lithograph on ivory-colored paper, realized by Paul Gervais (1816-1879). The artwork is from The Series of "Les Trois Rè...

French school from the mid-19th century Pencil and gouache highlights 25 x 35 cm (32 x 50 cm with the mat) Located, dated and signed "Holy address / August 15, 45 / H"

Olympus 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 government, of the laws, of...

Ancient View of Castel Sant'Angelo is an original modern artwork realized in Italy in the first half of the 19th Century. Original Lithograph on Ivory Paper. Inscripted on the lo...

"Dahkota Mission of Peace 1820, Warning Against Tresspass" is a color lithograph by Seth Eastman. It features figures trying to warn people against trespassing on their land. 7 3/4...

Loris Paresseux 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 pub...

Veduta della Basilica di S. Pietro in Vaticano... drawn and engraved by Giovanni Acquaroni. Copperplate engraving printed in Rome, 1867. Plate size: 7 3/8 x 9 1/4 in. In an archival ...

Image dimensions: 17.8 x 22.4 cm. Der Hagenmarkt mit der Catharinenkirche is a beautiful watercolored etching on paper, realized at the middle XIX century by the German landscapist ...

Circassian is a lithograph made by Auguste Wahlen in 1844. Hand colored. Good condition. At the center of the artwork is the original title "Circassien". The work is part of Suit...

Eleuthe is a lithograph made by Auguste Wahlen in 1844. Hand colored. Good condition. At the center of the artwork is the original title "Eleuthe". The work is part of Suite Moeu...

Oil on canvas, inscribed on the stretcher bar reverse. The painting is presented in a flat black frame that complements it well. Horace Bundy was an itin...