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New-York Historical Society collection of Currier & Ives prints

Call Number

PR 230

Date

1844-1880, inclusive

Creator

New-York Historical Society (Role: Collector)
Currier & Ives

Extent

3 Linear feet in 7 flat file folders

Language of Materials

English .

Abstract

About 58 lithographs and chromolithographs produced by Currier & Ives. Principal topics include the patriotism of men, women and children during the Civil War; images of Jesus Christ and Christian saints; Mississippi River paddle steamboats; animals; country landscapes; and "The Life of a Fireman" series of six plates.

Biographical / Historical

Currier & Ives was a successful American printmaking firm headed by Nathaniel Currier (1813-1888) and James Merritt Ives (1824-1895). Based in New York City from 1834 to 1907, the prolific firm produced prints from paintings by fine artists as black and white lithographs that were hand colored. The name Currier & Ives first appeared in 1857, when Currier invited James Merritt Ives, the company's bookkeeper and accountant, to become his partner. Currier died in 1888; Ives remained active in the firm until his death in 1895. Both Currier's and Ives's sons followed their fathers in the business, which was eventually liquidated in 1907. (Source: Library of Congress authorities record)

Arrangement

Prints are arranged in six folders by size and, roughly, by subject, as follows:

FF1: Civil War soldiers
FF2: Religious
FF3: Certificates and registers
FF4: Miscellaneous
FF5: "Life of a Fireman" plates
FF6: Miscellaneous (steamboats, landscapes, etc)
FF7: Miscellaneous (children, animals, etc.)

Scope and Contents

The collection holds about 58 lithographs and chromolithographs produced by Currier & Ives, with some by Nathaniel Currier dating before his partnership with James Ives. (N-YHS holds about 900 Currier & Ives prints across several collections; see the Related Materials Note in this finding aid.) Principal topics in this collection include the patriotism of men, women and children during the Civil War; images of Jesus Christ and Christian saints; Mississippi River paddle steamboats; animals; and country landscapes. There is a complete set of six plates for the series "The Life of a Fireman." A few images concern commentary or satire on political or social matters. There is a marriage certificate and a family photograph registry, unusual formats for the Currier & Ives firm.

The container list includes the titles of all items in the collection. A "Peters" catalogue number was recorded in the container list if one was noted on the print.

Conditions Governing Access

Available by advance appointment only. To schedule an appointment, contact the Print Room Librarian at printroom@nyhistory.org.

Conditions Governing Use

Photocopying undertaken by staff only. Limited to twenty exposures of stable, unbound material per day. (Researchers may not accrue unused copy amounts from previous days.) Permission to reproduce any Department of Prints, Photographs and Architectural Collections holdings through publication must be obtained from: Rights and Reproductions, The New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024. Phone: (212) 873-3400 ext. 282.

Preferred Citation

This collection should be cited as the New-York Historical Society Collection of Currier & Ives prints, PR 230, Department of Prints, Photographs, and Architectural Collections, New-York Historical Society.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The collection was compiled by New-York Historical Society from various donations and purchases. Known acquisition dates or sources are noted at the item level.

Related Materials

This collection includes a relatively small portion of N-YHS's total holdings of Currier & Ives prints. In addition to this collection, N-YHS holds about 900 Currier & Ives prints across 10 other collections, which are organized by format, subject, collector, or other focus in the Department of Prints, Photographs and Architectural Collections (PPAC). An item level list of the Currier & Ives prints in all PPAC collections is available on request via email. Contact printroom@nyhistory.org.

Collection processed by

Larry Weimer

About this Guide

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2023-08-21 15:50:58 -0400.
Using Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language: English

Processing Information

This collection was removed from the Printmaker file, PR-058, in 2003. An on-line finding aid was written for the collection by archivist Larry Weimer in January 2020.

Repository

New-York Historical Society
New-York Historical Society
170 Central Park West
New York, NY 10024