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From 1834 to 1907 the firm of Currier and Ives provided for the American people a pictorial history of their country's growth from an agricultural society to an industrialized one. For nearly three quarters of a century the firm provided "Colored Engravings for the People" and in the process, because of the democratic philosophy of the business, became the visual raconteurs of nineteenth century America. Some of the finest artists of the day, Louis Maurer, Thomas Worth, Arthur Fitzwilliam Tait, Frances Flora Bond Palmer, George H. Durrie, Napoleon Sarony, Charles Parsons, and J. E. Butterworth were engaged by the firm to produce a variety of images. The prints were printed in black and white and then the finest colors were applied by hand. These prints, which were issued in small, medium and large folio size, were hung in homes, businesses and public venues all around the country and even overseas. One of the most popular subjects were sporting prints and among the earliest issued by N. Currier (before Ives became his partner) was "Fanny" Palmer, a British immigrant who went to work producing drawings for Currier's prints about 1851. Some of the first images she drew for Currier, which she also transferred to lithographic stones, were her so-called Long Island hunting prints. As inspiration for these prints, Fanny went with her husband, Edmund, on his hunting trips, and based her scenes on this experience using Edmund and his dogs as models. These are quite rare prints and the earliest of the large folio Currier hunting images.
The popularity of Fanny Palmer's hunting prints from 1852 spurred Currier & Ives to commission another set of hunting scenes. These prints were drawn, but not lithographed by Palmer, and they are on similar themes and even titles, though the compositions were changed.
Louis Mauer was another of the great artists who produced sporting prints for Nathaniel Currier. This is one of his classic images, showing a hunting party in their camp. $2,800
From 1834 to 1907 the firm of Currier and Ives provided for the American people a pictorial history of their country's growth from an agricultural society to an industrialized one. For nearly three quarters of a century the firm provided "Colored Engravings for the People" and in the process, because of the democratic philosophy of the business, became the visual raconteurs of nineteenth century America. Some of the finest artists of the day, Louis Maurer, Thomas Worth, Arthur Fitzwilliam Tait, Frances Flora Bond Palmer, George H. Durrie, Napoleon Sarony, Charles Parsons, and J. E. Butterworth were engaged by the firm to produce a variety of images. The prints were printed in black and white and then the finest colors were applied by hand. These prints, which were issued in small, medium and large folio size, were hung in homes, businesses and public venues all around the country and even overseas. One of the most popular subjects were sporting prints and the most renowned of the Currier & Ives sporting artists was A.F. Tait. Tait's hunting and fishing prints capture this popular nineteenth-century pastime like no other body of work. Tait was himself a sportsman (and he often included himself in his pictures), so the scenes, equipment, animals, and paraphernalia are all accurate and beautifully rendered. This set of four prints are classics of Tait's sporting prints. As Harry Peters said, "When it comes to real hunting,...prints, the premier place, hands down, goes to the Tait folio series--'American Field Sports.'...This set in fine condition and fine old frames is a really noble possession." (Currier & Ives, p. 109)
Another classic Tait hunting image, showing two hunters in a blind. $2,800
"Hunting Fishing And Forest Scenes. Shantying on the Lake Shore." New York: Currier & Ives, 1867. Large folio. 17 x 24 3/4. Lower left corner of margin missing, else very good. C:3002. $1,400
Besides their large folio sporting prints, Currier & Ives also issued a nice selection of small folio sporting prints. While generally not signed, nor as finely colored as the large folio prints, these are still charming and decorative prints.
A "popular" print by one of Currier & Ives' competitors, the Haskell & Allen firm from Boston. $550
A.B. Frost. "Hunting the Deer." From A.C. Gould's Sport, or Fishing and Shooting. Boston: Bradlee Whidden, 1889. 18 x 11 3/4. Chromolithograph. Framed.
Towards the end of the nineteenth century, interest in American sporting watercolorists grew tremendously and so A.C. Gould issued a fine portfolio containing chromolithographs after watercolors by the leading American artists, including A.B. Frost. This is one of the rarest of the Frost images. $950
A handsome sporting print from Gould's portfolio of chromolithographs after original watercolors by an impressive group of American artists including A.B. Frost, F.S. Cozzens, Frederic Remington, S.F. Denton, and Rufus T. Zogbaum. $450
An example of a beautifully produced set of sportin prints issued in 1813-14 by Edward Orme as part of his famous Foreign Field Sports.. The aquatinting and lovely hand coloring are excellent, as are the compositions. One of a group of rare and lovely prints. $130
©The Philadelphia Print Shop, Ltd. Last updated July 3, 2008
Go to page with other hunting prints by A.B. Frost
Rufus F. Zogbaum. A day with the [Prairie] Chickens. From A.C. Gould (ed.) Sport, or Fishing and Shooting. Boston: Bradlee Whidden, 1889-90. Chromolithograph. 12 x 18. Small blemish in sky. Otherwise, very good condition.
Go to page with listing of other prints from the Sport, or Fishing and Shooting portfolio.
"Chamois Shooters in the Tyrol." From Foreign Field Sports, Fisheries, Sporting Anecdotes, &c. &c. London: Edward Orme, 1814. First edition. 6 3/4 x 8 3/4. Aquatint. Full original hand color. Full margins. Very good condition.
Go to page with more prints from Orme's Foreign Field Sports
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