Skip to main content

19th Century Figurative Prints

to
5,363
6,291
1,008
183
49
35
Overall Width
to
Overall Height
to
5,396
352
121
54
33
25
15
7
2
269
123
115
111
102
3,546
26,003
6,791
293
652
1,394
1,245
1,338
2,299
3,803
5,340
2,760
1,263
3,040
4,444
3,077
43
5,222
2,663
2,063
1,779
1,520
1,046
864
571
546
509
507
503
432
288
241
238
228
221
208
198
4,338
2,087
683
669
448
319
5,642
4,077
753
Period: 19th Century
Harper's July, The German Struggle for Liberty original art nouveau poster
Located in Spokane, WA
Original Harper's July vintage poster; The German Struggle for Liberty. Original turn of the century lithograph by Edward Penfield. Size: 14 1/8" x 21 18" Penfield created this poster to publicize Bigelow’s lengthy history of the Germanic people, serialized in the Monthly as “the first popular interpretation ever given to the rehabilitation of Germany through the uprising of the German people against the Napoleanic invasion.” July’s number began the series, which was published by Harper and Brothers as a two-volume set in 1896. Harper's June 1895 HARPER’S The German Struggle for Liberty JULY [Poster for Harper’s New Monthly Magazine, Jul 1895]. German soldier at the guardhouse. Four-color lithograph: grey, blue, yellow, and red. New York: Harper & Brothers, published Jun 1895. The magazine Harper's, issue of July, confronts the problems of The German Struggle for Liberty. Shown a German soldier in a helmet and armed with a rifle stands tall, and yet an uneasiness appears on his face. At a closer look, one will notice that not only does the soldier grasp his rifle in support, but in despair. This Harper's July is an Original Vintage Poster; it is not a reproduction. This poster is conservation mounted, linen backed. An restored fold mark across the middle of the image keeps this image from being rated higher (for an original 1895 poster).
Category

Art Nouveau 19th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Uses and Customs - Royal Palace of Caserta - Lithograph - 1862
Located in Roma, IT
Uses and Customs - Royal Palace of Caserta 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...
Category

Modern 19th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Au bord de la mer (At the Sea Side)
Located in Fairlawn, OH
Au bord de la mer (At the Sea Side) Etching and drypoint, 1880 Signed in the plate middle left edge (see photo) Edition: c. 100 A very rich impression, full of burr and contrasts Pri...
Category

Impressionist 19th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Etching

General Sir Eire Coote - Original Water-colored Lithograph - 1816
Located in Roma, IT
General Sir Eire Coote is an original print realized in 1816 ca. Original mixed colored hand watercolored lithograph . Title printed on plate on the lower margin. Published by Ric...
Category

Modern 19th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Watercolor, Lithograph

A Scene in the New Farce —as performed at the Royalty Theater
Located in Middletown, NY
A Scene in the New Farce —as performed at the Royalty Theater London: George Humphrey, 1821. Etching and engraving on cream wove paper with extensive hand coloring in watercolor. 9 5/8 x 13 3/4 inches (244 x 348 mm), trimmed at the platemark. A beautiful impression of this large, intricate print...
Category

19th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Watercolor, Engraving, Etching

Les Sénateurs de Kellogg - Original Woodcut Print After Bertall - 1880s
Located in Roma, IT
Image dimensions: 15.8 x 23.5 cm. Les sénateurs de Kellogg is a wonderful black and white xilograph on paper, realized around 1880's by the French wooden engraver Charles Laplante (...
Category

Modern 19th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Woodcut

Herd of Horses - Etching by Eugène Burnand - Late 19th century
Located in Roma, IT
Herd of Horses is an original etching realized by Eugène Burnand (1850-1921) in the Late 19th century. Signed on the plate. Good conditions with foxing. The artwork is realized t...
Category

Old Masters 19th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Engraving, Etching

The Portrait - Lithograph by L. Levy-Dhurmer - 1909 ca.
Located in Roma, IT
The Portrait is an Original lithograph on paper realized by Lucien Lévy-Dhurmer (1865-1953) in 1909 ca. Signed in the plate. Good conditions. Included a Passepartout: 42 x 35 cm
Category

Art Nouveau 19th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Becquet
Located in Storrs, CT
J. Becquet, Sculptor (The Fiddler). 1859. Drypoint. Kennedy 52 state iv; Glasgow 62. state i. 10 1/8 x 7 1/2 (sheet 15 5/16 x 9 3/4). Series: "Sixteen Etchings or Scenes on the Thame...
Category

American Impressionist 19th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Drypoint, Etching

Les Étudians de Paris - Original Lithograph by Paul Gavarni - 1847
Located in Roma, IT
Amusing original colored lithograph with pouchoir details. Beautiful satiric illustration by the French draftsman Paul Gavarni (alias Guillaume Sulpice Chevalier Gavarni, 1804-1866...
Category

Modern 19th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Pursued Centaur (Verfolgter Centaur) - Etching by Max Klinger - 1881
Located in Roma, IT
Pursued Centaur (Verfolgter Centaur) belongs to a series of prints called Intermezzi realized by Max Klinger, published by Nurnberg: Stroefer, 1881. Etching on paper. Signed on the...
Category

Symbolist 19th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Etching

Foreign Soldiers from Five Countries at the Port of Yokohama
Located in Fairlawn, OH
Foreign Soldiers from Five Countries at the Port of Yokohama Color woodcut triptych, c. 1860's Signed in the block lower left corner Signed: "Ichimosai Yoshitora ga" Condition: Mounted to a rose colored silk backing (stable) Staining (visible) in the joining of the right and center sheets Colors very slightly faded Image size: 15 3/8 x 31 3/8 inches (triptysch sheets joined to make one print) The 1854 Treaty of Kanagawa opened Japan to the West. Curiosity about the never-before-seen foreigners spurred a market in Yokohama-e (Yokohama prints), named for the area to which foreign dignitaries and merchants were confined. Yoshitora became one of the best known and most active artists of the Yokohama-e school. Utagawa Yoshitora (歌川 芳虎) was a designer of ukiyo-e Japanese woodblock prints and an illustrator of books and newspapers who was active from about 1850 to about 1880. He was born in Edo (modern Tokyo), but neither his date of birth nor date of death is known. However, he was the oldest pupil of Utagawa Kuniyoshi who excelled in prints of warriors, kabuki actors, beautiful women, and foreigners (Yokohama-e). He may not have seen any of the foreign scenes he depicted. Yoshitora was prolific: he produced over 60 print series and illustrated over 100 books. In 1849 he produced an irreverent print called Dōke musha: Miyo no wakamochi ("Funny Warriors—Our Ruler's New Year's Rice Cakes"), which depicts Oda Nobunaga, Akechi Mitsuhide, and Toyotomi Hideyoshi...
Category

19th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Woodcut

Saint Jean Le Baptiste - Etching by P. Puvis de Chavannes - Late 19th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Jean-Baptiste is an original Etching realized by Pierre Puvis de Chavannes in the late 19th Century. Good Conditions. The artwork is depicted through soft strokes in a well-balance...
Category

Modern 19th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Etching

Meeting in Akashi - Woodcut Print by Utagawa Kunisada II - 1864
Located in Roma, IT
Meeting in Akashi is an original modern artwork realized by Utagawa Kunisada II and Hiroshige II in 1864. Woodcut Print Oban Format. From the series "Omo...
Category

Modern 19th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Woodcut

La Source dans les Bois - Lithograph by Henri Fantin-Latour - 1898
Located in Roma, IT
Autographie (Calcography on paper transfer and Lithograph). Beautiful Proof in sanguine on China paper. In Excellent conditions and full margins. Ref. Cat. Hédiart-Mason n.139; Jo...
Category

Modern 19th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Triumphal Arches - Original Lithographs and Watercolors - Mid 19th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Triumphal Arches is a beautiful lot of five hand-watercolored lithographs realized by an Italian artist of the XIX century later watercolored, and repre...
Category

Modern 19th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Watercolor, Lithograph

Ancient Warriors of Germany - Lithograph by Auguste Wahlen - 1844
Located in Roma, IT
Ancient Warriors of Germany is a lithograph made by Auguste Wahlen in 1844. Hand colored. Good condition. At the center of the artwork is the original title "Ancient Warriors of G...
Category

Modern 19th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Distinguished Woman - Lithograph (Les Maîtres de l'Affiche), 1895
Located in Paris, IDF
Maurice GREIFFENHAGEN Distinguished Woman (Illustrated Pall Mall Budget), 1895 Lithograph On vellum Size 39 x 29 cm (c. 15.3 x 11.4") INFORMATION : Plate 24 of "Les Maîtres de l'A...
Category

Art Nouveau 19th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Notre Dame - Original Lithograph - Mid-19th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Notre Dame is an original modern artwork realized in the Mid-19th Century. Original B/W Lithograph on Ivory Paper. Inscripted on the lower central margin: Notre Dame - Cathedral i...
Category

Modern 19th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Woman - Woodcut by Utagawa Kunisada - 1830 ca.
Located in Roma, IT
Japanese Woman is a beautiful print realized around 1830 by Utagawa Kunisada. Original colored woodblock print. This wonderful modern artwork represents a portrait of a Japan woman...
Category

Modern 19th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Woodcut

Persian Cloth in 19th Century- Lithograph - 1862
Located in Roma, IT
Persian Cloth in 19th Century is a Hand-colored lithograph on paper realized in 1862. The artwork belongs to the Suite Uses and customs of all the peoples of the universe: " History...
Category

Modern 19th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Yakushae - Woodcut Print by Utagawa Kunisada - 1863
Located in Roma, IT
Yakushae is an original modern artwork realized by Utagawa Kunisada in 1863. Woodcut print oban from a tryptich. Signed Toyokuni ga. Publisher: Izutsuya. Scene from the play "Yowa Nasake Ukina no Yokogushi". Yasugoro, the thief with the bat tattoo on his cheek, enters the oil merchant's house at night...
Category

Modern 19th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Woodcut

Uses and Customs - Bridge in Venice - Lithograph - 1862
Located in Roma, IT
Bridge in Venice 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...
Category

Modern 19th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph

May Flower - original lithograph (1897-1898)
Located in Paris, IDF
Henri HERAN (1864 - 1946) May Flower Original lithograph Printed signature, as issued 1897/98 Printed on paper Vélin (wove) Size 40 x 31 cm (c. 16 x 12")...
Category

Art Nouveau 19th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Gerlach's Allegorien Plate #35: "Love & Wine" Lithograph
Located in Chicago, IL
Koloman Moser (1868 –1918), AUSTRIAN Instead of applying his flair and art education solely to painting, Koloman Moser embodied the idea of Gesamt Kunstwerk (all-embracing art work) by designing architecture, furniture, jewelry, graphics, and tapestries meant to coordinate every detail of an environment. His work transcended the imitative decorative arts of earlier eras and helped to define Modernism for generations to come. Moser achieved a remarkable balance between intellectual structure (often geometric) and hedonistic luxury. Collaborating with Gustav Klimt and Josef Hoffmann, the artist was an editor and active contributor to Ver Sacrum, (Sacred Spring), the journal of the Viennese Secession that was so prized for its aesthetics and high quality production that it was considered a work of art. The magazine featured drawings and designs in the Jugendstil style (Youth) along with literary contributions from distinguished writers from across Europe. It quickly disseminated both the spirit and the style of the Secession. In 1903 Moser and Hoffmann founded and led the Wiener Werkstatte (Viennese Workshop) a collective of artisans that produced elegant decorative arts items, not as industrial prototypes but for the purpose of sale to the public. The plan, as idealistic then as now, was to elevate the lives of consumers by means of beautiful and useful interior surroundings. Moser’s influence has endured throughout the century. His design sensibility is evident from the mid-century modern furniture of the 1950s and ‘60s to the psychedelic rock posters...
Category

Vienna Secession 19th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Le Port de Monaco - Etching by Appian - 1874
Located in Roma, IT
Le Port de Monaco is an artwork realized by Appian. Etching, realized in 1874. Sheet 158 x 237 mm.. Curtis and Prouté 36. Meeting of a very beautiful proof on white laid paper, f...
Category

Modern 19th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Etching

Passage d'une Ame - Etching by O. Redon - 1891
Located in Roma, IT
Passage of a Spirit is an original etching, realized by Odilon Redon in 1891, frontispiece for “La Passante”, edition of 420 copies, titled: " Passage d’une âme ". Image dimensio...
Category

Symbolist 19th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Etching

Uses and Customs - Four Sibyls - Lithograph - 1862
Located in Roma, IT
Uses and Customs - Four Sibyls 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...
Category

Modern 19th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Ancient View of Cyprus - Original Lithograph - Mid-19th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Cyprus is an original modern artwork realized in the mid-19th Century. Original B/W Lithograph on Ivory Paper. Inscripted on the lower margin in Capital Letters: Cyprus Hauptstad...
Category

Modern 19th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Ancient Egyptian Ruins - Chromolithograph after Karl Werner - 1881
Located in Roma, IT
Ancient Egyptian ruins is a modern artwork realized d'apres Karl Werner. Mixed colored cromolithograph.  The artwork is after the watercolors realized by the artist during a trip t...
Category

Modern 19th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph

The Jackal - Original Lithograph by Paul Gervais - 1854
Located in Roma, IT
The Jackal 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 publishe...
Category

Modern 19th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph, Paper

Indian Giant Squirrel - Original Lithograph by Paul Gervais - 1854
Located in Roma, IT
Indian Giant Squirrel 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 w...
Category

Modern 19th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Lovers - Etching, 1897
Located in Paris, IDF
Auguste RODIN (after) Lovers, 1897 Etching enhanced with watercolor On vellum 42.5 x 31 cm (c. 16.7 x 12.2 inches) Edition limited to 125 copies, send with the certificate of authen...
Category

Modern 19th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Etching

The Doctor Bird Ready For Injection - Lithograph by J.J Grandville - 1852
Located in Roma, IT
The Doctor Bird Ready For Injection 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...
Category

Modern 19th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Paper, Lithograph

Gerlach's Allegorien Plate #93: "Science" Lithograph by Carl Otto Czeschka
Located in Chicago, IL
after Carl Otto Czeschka, (1878-1960), Austrian A leading member of the Vienna Secession and later the Wiener Werkstätte (Viennese Workshop), Carl Otto Czeschka was a vital figu...
Category

Vienna Secession 19th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Icarus & Phaeton - Etching (1897)
Located in Paris, IDF
ARTIST: after Auguste RODIN TITLE : Icarus and Phaeton MEDIUM : Etching/photogravure after the original drawing SIGNATURE : Unsigned YEAR : 1897 PAPER : Vellum SIZE : 13 x 10" ...
Category

Academic 19th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Etching

View of Quirinale Garden, Rome - Etching on Paper - 19th century
Located in Roma, IT
View of Quirinale Garden is an original etching on paper realized by an Anonymous artist of the XIX century, singed and titled on the plate with inscription below, Plate no. 72 Dime...
Category

Modern 19th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Etching

Baigneuses - Original Etching by L. Lacouteux - 1899
By Lionel Lecouteux
Located in Roma, IT
Baigneuses is an original artwork realized by the French artist Lionel Lecouteux in 1899. Original etching on paper. The original dry hallmark on the lower right corner is present....
Category

19th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Etching

Fountain with Castle - Original Etching hand Watercolored by A. Wolf - 1890s
Located in Roma, IT
Fountain with Castle is an excellent Modern artwork realized by the German artist Augusto Wolf (Weinheim, 1842 - Venice, 1915) in the 1890s. Original Watercolored Etching. Hand-s...
Category

19th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Etching, Watercolor

Egyptian Barber - Chromolithograph after Karl Werner - 1881
Located in Roma, IT
Egyptian barber is a modern artwork realized d'apres Karl Werner  Mixed colored Chromolithograph.  The artwork is after the watercolor realized by the artist during a trip to Egypt...
Category

Modern 19th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Dance called the Candiotta - Lithograph - 1862
Located in Roma, IT
Dance called the Candiotta 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 governme...
Category

Modern 19th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Kabukie - Woodcut by Utagawa Kunisada - 1840
Located in Roma, IT
Kabukie is an original artwork realized in 1840 by Utagawa Kunisada (1786-1865). From the series "Mitate Yakusha gojusan tsui no uchi" (juxtaposition of actors and the 53 Tokaido s...
Category

Modern 19th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Woodcut

Sumo Fighters - Woodblock Print by Utagawa Kunisada - Mid-19th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Sumo Fighters is an original Woodcut print realized in mid 19th century by Utagawa Kunisada. Good condition and Beautiful colored woodblock print. This wonderful modern artwork re...
Category

Modern 19th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Woodcut

Médecine Expérimentale - Etching by Félicien Rops - 1854
Located in Roma, IT
Médecine Expérimentale (Experimental medicine), is an original etching, soft ground, on Japanese paper realized by Félicien Rops in 1854, signed in the ...
Category

Symbolist 19th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Etching

Short-Eared Owl - Woodcut Print by Alexander Francis Lydon - 1870
Located in Roma, IT
Short-Eared Owl is a modern artwork realized in 1870 by the British artist Alexander Francis Lydon (1836-1917) . Woodcut print, hand colored, published by London, Bell & Sons, 1870...
Category

Modern 19th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Woodcut

Les Lorettes - Original Lithograph by Paul Gavarni - 19th Century
Located in Roma, IT
"Les Lorettes" is an original hand-watercolored lithograph on ivory-colorated paper by Paul Gavarni (1804-1866). In excellent conditions: Very good conditions. This is an original ...
Category

Modern 19th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph

A brightly colored image of a 13th century French bowman.
Located in Middletown, NY
Mussard, Léopold Costume design for a 13th century Arbalétrier. Paris: 1836. Etching with hand coloring in watercolor on cream wove paper, 5 1/2 x 8 9/16 inches (138 x 216 mm), full...
Category

French School 19th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Watercolor, Handmade Paper, Etching

Two Kabuki Actors Japanese Woodblock Print
Located in Houston, TX
Two kabuki actors posing a samurai's. The print is printed on rice paper and is not framed. It is stamped by the artist with details about the actors in ...
Category

Edo 19th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Woodcut

Fleurs de Mousse - Vintage Adv Lithograph by L. Metlicovitz - 1898
Located in Roma, IT
Image dimensions: 26x18.8 cm. Fleurs de Mousse is an amazing colored lithograph on cardboard, realized by the Italian artist and one of the fathers of the modern Italian poster art, Leopoldo Metlicovitz (Trieste, 1868 - Ponte Lambro, 1944). Printed by Officine Ricordi, Milan in 1898, the advertising manifesto for the Fleurs de Mousse fragrance is inspired by the art nouveau graphics of the master Adolf Hohenstein. This is a wonderful vintage advertising poster for the "Fleurs de Mousse, le grand parfum à la mode", monogrammed on lower right margin and with the inscriptions printed on lower margin, under the image: "L. Metlicovitz / Off. G. Ricordi and C. Milano / 90 x 125. In excellent conditions, except for some light abrasions of the paper on the right and lower margins. This modern original poster shows the vintage Art Nouveau taste and the Metlicovitz's full mastery of the artistic medium, has the dignity of an object of art to collect and could be a colorful and fashionable piece for your sophisticated home furniture. Leopoldo Metlicovitz (Trieste, 1868 - Ponte Lambro, 1944) The Italian painter, illustrator, theatrical and advertising scenographer is considered one of the precursors of Futurism and, together with Leonetto Cappiello, Adolf Hohenstein, Giovanni Maria Mataloni and Marcello Dudovich, one of the fathers of modern Italian poster art. He began his artistic career at the age of fourteen working as an apprentice in a typography in Udine, where he learned the technique of lithography. Here he is noticed by Giulio Ricordi, owner of the namesake Officine Grafiche, who invites him to Milan to work as a lithographer. In 1892, after collaborating with Tensi, a photographic product company, he returned to Ricordi as technical director. At the same time, he entered the theatrical environment and began his career as a set designer and costume designer at La Scala. The Mele di Napoli tailoring company entrusted him with the task of advertising his clothes and in 1906, on the occasion of the great Universal Exposition in Milan, he won the competition for the fair poster, establishing himself also as a poster artist and then collaborating with several magazines as an illustrator. For Ricordi he takes care of the illustrations of calendars, opera librettos, postcards. Other famous images created by him are those for the poster of the film Cabiria, a blockbuster of the silent film scripted by Gabriele D'Annunzio, and the trademark that is still used today by the Brothers Branca Distilleries, producers of Fernet Branca...
Category

19th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph

The Opening of the Temporary Diet - Woodcut by Ginko Adachi- 1890s
Located in Roma, IT
Picture of the opening of the temporary Diet building is an original artwork realized in the 1890s by Ginko Adachi (born 1853; active c. 1870 – 1908). Sheet dimensions: 22 x 48 cm. ...
Category

Modern 19th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Woodcut

Taira no Munekiyo Captures -Woodcut Print by Utagawa Hirosada - 1856
Located in Roma, IT
Taira no Munekiyo Captures Tokiwa no Mae is an original modern artwork realized by Utagawa Hirosada (Japanese, active 1825–75) in 1856. Woodcut print oban format. Signature Ichiyosa...
Category

Modern 19th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Woodcut

19th century color lithograph figures cemetery willow tree memorial headstone
Located in Milwaukee, WI
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...
Category

Romantic 19th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Watercolor, Lithograph

Disparate de Carnaval - Etching - 1875
Located in Roma, IT
Disparate de Carnaval - from Los Proverbios is an original black and white etching realized by Francisco Goya (1746-1828). The artwork is the plate n. ...
Category

Old Masters 19th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Etching, Aquatint

Plants and Animals - Lithograph - 1862
Located in Roma, IT
Plants and Animals 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 t...
Category

Modern 19th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Ebrea Maritata (Married Jewish) - Lithograph - 1849
Located in Roma, IT
Ebrea maritata (Married Jewish) is an original artwork realized by an Unknown artist in 1849s. Beautiful lithograph hand-watercolored on paper. Good conditions. Titled on the botto...
Category

Modern 19th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Hunting - Lithograph by Gilson Reeve - Late 19th century
Located in Roma, IT
Hunting is a lithograph on ivory-colored paper realized by Richard Gilson Reeve in the Late 19th Century. Signed on the plate on the lower. Good conditions with diffused foxing. I...
Category

Art Nouveau 19th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Two Botanical Lithographs, Flora Of America
Located in SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, FR
Étienne DENISSE (1785-1861) Gombeau Edible and Trompette. Collection of the most remarkable Flowers and Fruits, natural size. Two lithographs enhanced with watercolor. Around 1830. F...
Category

19th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

Autre émotion maritime - Lithograph by H. Daumier - 1852
Located in Roma, IT
Autre émotion maritime is a b/w lithograph (n.14) from the satirical print series “Les Trains de Plaisir”, composed of caricatures “de mœurs” (of behaviours), realized by Honoré Daum...
Category

19th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Late 19th Century Normandy French Market Engraving
Located in Soquel, CA
Charming engraving of the market in Aumale, France in Normandy by Charles John Watson (British, 1846-1927), circa 1880. Signed within engraving and below by artist. Presented under g...
Category

Impressionist 19th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Paper, India Ink

Oriental Woman - Woodcut by Utagawa Kunisada - 1830 ca.
Located in Roma, IT
Oriental Woman is an original print realized around 1830 by Utagawa Kunisada. Beautiful colored woodblock print. Good conditions except for some folds...
Category

19th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Woodcut

Recently Viewed

View All