Kurz & Allison "The Battle of Corinth" [Mississippi]

Kurz & Allison  "The Battle of Corinth" [Mississippi]

Chicago: Kurz & Allison, 1891.  17 1/2 x 25.  Chromolithograph.  Light mat burn in margins.  Dry mounting tissue on verso.  Else, very good condition. 

The Chicago firm of Kurz & Allison is well remembered for its production of bright, decorative chromolithographs, especially depicting Civil War battles such as this.  Founded in 1880, their avowed purpose was to design “for large scale establishments of all kinds, and in originating and placing on the market artistic and fancy prints of the most elaborate workmanship.”  Elaborate they certainly were–the majority of their prints being extremely busy, with action throughout the image.  Drawn in a rigid style that follows from Kurz’s background as a muralist, these prints have a simplicity and vividness that makes them not only interesting historical documents but also excellent large scale decorative images.  Most of the prints are scenes of long-past historical events, representing late nineteenth-century American’s image of their past.  Typically, the drama of the events are shown with Victorian melodrama.  As much a reflection of the taste of the print buying public as of the events, these prints are wonderful documents of the time.