Popular lithographs by such firms as Currier & Ives and their contemporaries.
Genre images by important American artists of the 18th and 19th centuries.

"Protector Engine No. 2." Hartford: Kelloggs & Comstock and Buffalo: D. Needham, 1848-50. Lithograph. Original hand color. 8 5/8 x 12. Short, repaired tear in title area. Otherwise, very good condition.

A wonderful American fireman lithograph by the chief competitor to Currier & Ives, Kelloggs & Comstock. The image shows the pump engine in the background with four uniformed firemen, holding various tools, shown in the foreground. The neat residences in the background are a reminder of what it is that these obviously capable men were protecting. $575
Go to page on fire and fire fighting

L. Haugg. "Express Passenger Locomotive. Richard Norris & Son, Locomotive Builders, Philadelphia." New York: J.H. Colton & Co., 1856. 11 1/2 x 16 1/2. Lithographed by L. Haugg. Printed in color by A. Brett. Very good condition.

A bright and colorful lithograph of an express passenger locomotive built by the Richard Norris & Son company of Philadelphia. The print is one of the full page advertisements that appeared only in Colton's atlas of 1856. The print is printed in colors, and the bright, imposing image of the engine make this one of the most desirable train prints of the mid-nineteenth century. $3,200

Root & Tinker. “Representative Journals and Journalists of America.” New York, 1882. Two-stone lithograph containing facsimiles of twelve leading newspapers, each of which frames a bust portrait of its owner or editor, plus a center portrait which has no newspaper facsimile. Facsimiles of signatures appear below with printed titles of papers. Lithograph by Buek & Lindner. 19 x 21. Minor wrinkles and tears, plus very small chip in upper left margin corner. Otherwise clean and good condition.

Published in 1882, this rare print features the following men and newspapers: James Gordon Bennett, New York Herald; George W. Childs, Philadelphia Public Ledger; Charles A. Dana, New York Sun; Murat Halstead, Cincinnati Commercial; E.B. Haskell, Boston Sunday Herald; Gen. Joseph R. Hawley, Hartford Courant; Joseph Medill, Chicago Daily Tribune; Oswald Ottendorfer, New-Yorker Staats-Zeitung; R. M. Pulsifer, Boston Herald; Whitelaw Reid, New York Tribune; W.F. Storey, Chicago Times; Henry Watterson, Louisville Courier-Journal. Thurlow Weed, veteran retired editor of the Rochester Telegraph and the Albany Evening Journal, appears in the center. The lithograph was republished almost immediately (as an advertisement for Travelers Insurance Company), with Victor F. Lawson of the Chicago Daily News replacing Storey.

The firm of Charles Towner Root & Franklin H. Tinker was a prolific late 19th-century New York publisher of separately issued prints, in the tradition of Currier & Ives, as well as of trade journals. The printer was the New York firm of Buek & Lindner, established in 1881 by Gustave H. Buek and F.H. Lindner, two well-known lithographic artists. When Lindner retired in 1884, Buek was joined in G.H. Buek & Co. by Léon Marié, and later Buek was president of the Alco Gravure Company in New York City. DHC ON APPROVAL

Eadweard Muybridge. Plate 609: Trotting, sulky, Katydid. From Animal Locomotion. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania, 1887. Collotype. Approx. 19 1/8 x 24 1/8 (paper size), 13 1/2 x 19 5/8 (image size). Pencil inscriptions. Professionally conserved. Very good condition. Ref.: Frizot, p. 247

Eadweard Muybridge (1830- 1904) is widely considered to be one of the most influential photographers in the study of motion. The English born Muybridge traveled to California around 1852. His early romantic views of the west gained him enough acclaim to be appointed the Director of Photographic Surveys for the United States government. Because the capturing of these grand western vistas required Muybridge to use huge glass collodion-treated plates, he was approached by ex-California governor Leland Stanford to photograph his beloved horse. The principal purpose was to settle a wager based on the positioning of a horse's legs in the action of trotting, the question being whether all four hooves came off the ground at the same time. After a few unsuccessful attempts, Muybridge managed to set up a battery of cameras enabling him to record split second movements. His continuing work with animals and models in motion eventually led to his invention of the "zoopraxiscope," a moving picture machine that showed a rapid succession of images. Throughout the 1880s Muybridge lectured in America and abroad. With the help of Thomas Eakins, he found sponsors at the University of Pennsylvania and there Muybridge continued his work, taking thousands of locomotion studies of men, women, children, animals and birds. The results were published in a epic portfolio of 781 folio prints after his photographs, Animal Locomotion. Muybridge's motion studies are considered to be a critical step in the evolution of photography to motion pictures. $1,400
Go to page with more prints from Muybridge's Animal Locomotion.

F. Schummer & Co. "The Eternal Rock of the Roman Catholic Church." Baltimore, 1872. Lithograph by A. Hoen & Co. 19 5/8 x 25 5/8 (full sheet). Very good condition.

The (First) Vatican Council was summoned by Pope Pius IX (Giovanni Maria Mastai-Ferretti [1792-1878, pope from 1846]) in response to the rise of political liberalism in Europe, especially the Risorgimento by which the unification of Italy was accomplished, thus ending the existence of the Papal States and the "temporal power of the Pope." Meeting from 8 December, 1869, to 18 July, 1870, and besides important canons relating to the Faith and the constitution of the Church, the council decreed the infallibility of the pope when he defines a doctrine concerning faith or morals to be held by the whole Church. Such authority was asserted as descending upon popes as successors to the Apostle Simon Peter (petrus: rock). This doctrine was praised and criticized around the world, and the controversy was nowhere livelier than in the United States, where it meshed with questions of Catholic participation in American politics and, especially, of sectarian schools.

This print well illustrates the Roman Catholic position. In the center a massive rock is surmounted by St. Peter's Basilica, the seat of the popes, and bordered by the scriptural phrasing "…upon this rock …" At the base of the rock are eight vignettes from the life of Christ, each accompanied by a quotation from the Hebrew or Christian scriptures. The four evangelists appear in the corners. At the top are vignettes of the Annunciation of the Angel Gabriel to Mary and of Mary's Assumption into heaven, where she is being welcomed by God the Father, Christ, and the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove. To the left Christ presents the Keys of the Kingdom to Peter, behind whom stands the Pope with bishops and other clerics. To the right, Constantine points to his heavenly vision of a Cross surmounted by the words "In Hoc Signo Vinces" (In this sign shall you conquer), showing it to Charles V (1500-1558, the Holy Roman Emperor who issued a ban against Luther in 1521) and Henry II (St. Henry, 972-1024, Holy Roman Emperor), behind whom warriors are shown conquering under the banner of the Cross.

The Hoen Company in Baltimore was begun as E. Weber & Co by Edward Weber in 1835; Weber had learned lithography in Germany from its originator, Alois Senefelder. After Weber died in 1848 the firm was taken over by his nephew August Hoen. August Hoen, his cousin Ernest Hoen and Henry Hoen operated the business as A. Hoen & Co., renowned for medical and scientific illustrations for government publications, sheet music covers, views of Baltimore, innumerable maps, and miscellaneous commercial items. The firm continued in the lithography and printing business until filing for bankruptcy in 1981. Franz Schummer arrived in Baltimore in 1865, and operated as a "dealer in pictures" there in the1870s. $425

"American Winter Scene." Philadelphia: Joseph Hoover, 1867. 18 1/2 x 26. Lithograph with original hand color. A few minor blemishes, but overall very good condition.

Joseph Hoover started by his career making elaborate wood frames in Philadelphia in 1856, but within a decade or so he began to produce popular prints. Initially he mostly worked for other publishers, including Duval & Hunter, but he also issued a number of hand-colored, popular prints. During the Centennial, Hoover won a medal for excellence for his chromolithographs after Queen's renderings, and in the 1880s, he and his sons began to print chromolithographs exclusively, with an average annual production of between 600,000 to 700,000 pictures. His earlier hand-colored prints have considerable charm, as evidenced by the lovely "American Winter Scene." Men in sleds race by a tidy home, whose inhabitants gaze out at the seen. In the middle distance a crowd of well dressed men, women and child enjoy skating on a frozen pond. The print includes interesting details such as the harnesses on the horses and painted window shades in the house. $1,600

“Winter Scene in the Country.” Philadelphia: Joseph Hoover, 1868. 18 x 25 1/2. Lithographed by P.S. Duval, Son & Co. Lithograph with original hand color. Excellent condition.

Joseph Hoover started by his career making elaborate wood frames in Philadelphia in 1856, but within a decade or so he began to produce popular prints. Initially he mostly worked for other publishers, including Duval & Hunter, but he also issued a number of hand-colored, popular prints. During the Centennial, Hoover won a medal for excellence for his chromolithographs after Queen’s renderings, and in the 1880s, he and his sons began to print chromolithographs exclusively, with an average annual production of between 600,000 to 700,000 pictures. His earlier hand-colored prints have considerable charm, as evidenced by this lovely “Winter Scene in the Country.” Sleighs race by a tidy home with many children playing in the yard. The trim on the house is of Eastlake design. In the middle distance a crowd enjoys skating on a frozen pond and sleighing down a hill. The print includes interesting background details such as a school and church steeple as part of a village with its well built bridge. A lovely piece of Americana. $1,800

Thomas Hicks. "Authors of the United States." New York: Thomas Hicks, 1866. Engraving by A.H. Ritchie. 19 3/8 x 34 1/2. Good margins. Very good condition.

A superior engraving of the most famous American authors of the middle of the nineteenth century. The image was drawn and published by Thomas Hicks, a native of Bucks County who studied at the Pennsylvania Academy and National Academy of Design. Around mid-century Hicks set up a studio as a portrait painter in New York City and many prominent persons of the age sat for him. This print is really a set piece showing off Hicks' portraits. It shows authors of the United States sitting and standing in a classical setting complete with statues of famous English writers including Shakespeare and Chaucer. Statues on the upper balcony are of the founders of modern vernacular literate: Goethe, Shakespeare, and Dante. Each is clearly and accurately rendered and the whole makes a most impressive image. This engraving was by A.H. Ritchie, one of the best historic print engravers of the mid-nineteenth century. Ritchie is well known for the clarity and richness of his engravings, and this is a fine example of his work. $950

“The Happy Days of Childhood.” New York: J.C. Buttre, 1871. 18 3/4 x 13 1/2 (image) plus margins. Lithograph (hand colored). Copyright by M.V. Wagilet. Small blue dot above title and two small punctures under the dog. Else excellent condition.

Children swinging on a rural gate in a country setting is a lovely American scene. John Chester Buttre (1821-1893) was a prolific printmaker using wood engraving, steel engraving and lithography over a long career. Most of his work was in producing historical portraits, but this exception is a lovely expression of American vitality through youth at play. $450

Thomas Nast. "A Christmas-Box." December 26, 1885.

Harper’s Weekly, a newspaper in the last half of the nineteenth and early twentieth century, presented a mixture of news stories, gossip, poetry, and most notably, wood-engraved illustrations. Amongst the most famous of the illustrators who worked for the magazine was Thomas Nast, ‘father of American political cartooning.’ During the second half of the nineteenth century, Nast became the most significant illustrator of American political and social issues. His pointed cartoons exerted a great impact on public opinion. More than a mere cartoonist, Nast was an innovator of images, popularizing or instituting many now familiar subjects such as the Republican elephant, the Democratic donkey, John Bull, Uncle Sam, and Columbia. Perhaps his most lasting creation was the image of Santa Claus, that he modeled from Clement Moore’s St. Nick in his Visit from Saint Nicholas and which serves as our present day jolly elf. $575
Go to page of Thomas Nast's Christmas theme prints.

Christian Schussele. "Men Of Progress-American Inventors." New York: Munn & Co., publisher. Copyright by John Skirving, Philadelphia, 1863. 21 3/4 x 35 3/4. Mezzotint by John Sartain. Full margins, with repaired tear at top. Very good condition.

An intricate group portrait of important American inventors issued at the time of the American Civil War. Included in the image are Samuel Colt, Cyrus McCormick, Charles Goodyear, and Samuel Morse, amongst others. The inventors are shown with excellent portraits and each has an emblem of their inventions (e.g. a Colt pistol, McCormick reaper….) In the background is a painting of the 'godfather' of these "men of progress," Ben Franklin, hangs on the wall. The image was painted by Christian Schussele in 1862. Schussele was one of the premier historical painters of the time and many of his images were turned into fine prints. This print was engraved by one of the leading printmakers of the period, John Sartain, and it is a superb example of his work. Though the Civil War caused great harm to the nation, the second part of the nineteenth century was also a time of great progress for Americans, and this group portraits shows many of the leaders of that progress. $1,400

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