1865 Currier & Ives, A Pair of Nutcrackers

Hand colored lithographic print of Daniel O’Connell, Irish Republican hero, after the Currier & Ives original. The work has been professionally conserved, an...

"Pleasures of Winter" Maintains the appropriate markings along with "New York, Published by N. Currier 152 Nassau Street. (The firm was located here in lower Manhattan from 1837-1872) The lithograph portrays a woman leaving her stately home with her two children, being escorted by two drivers to ride in a double seated horse drawn sleigh. In the background is a snowy field with other houses and a loaded horse drawn timber sleigh. In addition to the Amon Carter Museum in Dallas, an example of "Pleasures of Winter" is in: The Library of Congress The Springfield Museum (Massachusetts) Gift of Lenore and Sydney Alpert) Metropolitan Museum of Art (Gift of Colgate 1962) Museum of Fine Arts Boston (Donated by Lee M. Friedman) Dimensions: actual= 16 1/2" h x 23 13/16" w matte= 19 1/2" h x 25 1/4" w folio= 21 9/16" h x 27 1/2" w with frame= 26 1/4" h x 32 1/4" w frame= 1 1/4" burl bird's eye maple It is in very good all original condition; and housed and professionally mounted in a fine quality and attractive bird's eye maple wooden frame with preservation backing and frontal protective glass (important when dealing with 170 year old lithographs); it is the rare and desirable Currier large folio sheet example in fine original color. There is minor foxing and a tideline upper center (see images). The larger folios are more rare because they appealed to the wealthier sector of the population and were more expensive, thus fewer were made, albeit, knowing their more discerning customer base, there was more attention given to detail; hand coloring, and quality for example. This example has been framed and housed in museum quality conservation backing for over 80 years. I have had it professionally taken apart and I inspected the folio visually, and examined it with a black light and loop; as a result, I guarantee and can attest to the accuracy of my description of the lithograph. I then had the folio professionally remounted in it's original frame with an upgraded preservation backing (see images of original folios out of frame and for confirmation of inspection). This lithograph has no tears, no touch up paint, and no glued or taped repairs. This is one of the four iconic and highly desirable set of lithographs made by Nathaniel Currier (1813-1888) dated 1855 from the American Country Life series. They are named; Spring "May Morning"; Summer "Summer Evening"; Fall ""October Afternoon"; and Winter "Pleasures of Winter". The lithograph was produced from the painting of well known artist Frances (Fanny) Flora (Bond Palmer (1812-1876). She painted typical American scenes of daily American life that were used by Currier for years to come. She was an accomplished artist by the time she migrated to the United States from England, and Currier commissioned her to do the country scenes for this series. Each of the original images are toned lithographs with applied hand painted watercolor. The lithograph reflects an affluent life style, showcasing grandiose homes and glamorizing the rural way of living as urban areas became more densely populated with the tidal wave and arrival of immigrants. Nathaniel Currier began his lithograph business in 1835 with hand colored images portraying outdoor panoramic, historical, pastoral, and landmark scenes and events, with which the middle class and the wealthy sought to decorate their houses. James Ives (1824-1895) was his accountant) and would join him later in 1857 to help run the business. The hand painted lithograph is embellished with script text in the bottom margin of the folio "Entered according to art of congress in the year 1855 by N. Currier in the clerk's office of the southern district of N.Y." "F.F Palmer...