Currier & Ives Prints

Currier & Ives prints are hand colored lithographs produced by the American printmakers Nathanial Currier and James Ives. The two were entrepreneurial business partners running a print atelier in Manhattan in the mid-19th century. Recognizing the popularity of inexpensive images to illustrate current events, Currier and Ives turned a small studio into an efficient mass-reproduction operation.

Specializing in genre subject matter, they hired artists to create original illustrations, which were reproduced by lithographers. Each lithograph was hand-colored by an artist, and in assembly line fashion, each artist was responsible for applying one color to the print.

Currier & Ives produced images in a wide variety of categories from transportation scenes to sports to sentimental images of domestic life. The majority of the prints were titled and printed with the Currier & Ives workshop address in New York City. In modern times, these images have been reproduced for calendars and other paraphernalia, increasing the demand amongst collectors for original prints and re-strikes.

Quick Facts

• Currier & Ives produced over one million prints between 1834 and 1907
• Not all Currier & Ives prints were colored in house, as the unfinished lithographs were sometimes sold to dealers or to art schools for painting classes
• A re-strike Currier & Ives is a print made from an original lithography stone, but after the company closed and the stone sold at auction. A niche market exists for re-strikes as they are exceptionally rare