Lithograph

Large realistic hand colored lithograph print depicting four hunters and two dogs in a wooded landscape. Titled and signed by Currier and Ives within the print in the lower front margin. Matted and hung in a carved wooden frame.

Currier and Ives's Nathaniel Currier and James Merritt Ives were successful American printmakers in New York City in the late 19th Century. They were best known for their production of hand colored lithograph prints based on paintings by artists of the day and scenes of everyday life. Currier & Ives prints were hand colored after being printed in ink using lithographic stones. The images were printed onto thick, woven light-colored papers. Currier & Ives produced large (14 x 20 inches or larger), medium 10 x 14 inches to 14 x 20 inches) and small (8 x 12 inches) format prints. If your print is a different size, then you may have a reproduction or your original print has been cut down or otherwise altered. An expert like myself who has reviewed many works can tell the difference. The larger prints, completed by skilled colorists, demonstrate neater application of hand coloring than the prints of the other sizes. These large format prints are more desirable on the market today than smaller prints which usually have sloppier hand coloring. It is not widely known but Currier & Ives also produced rare, uncolored prints. Identifying valuable prints can be difficult and there are many factors that go into spotting a fake. There were other printers who reproduced Currier & Ives prints including Joseph Koehler, S. Lipshitz, Max Williams, and Andres Inc. Most reproductions which can still have value show light hand coloring on thin sheets of paper.

H 32.5 in. x W 39 in. x D 1.375 in.

H 20.75 in. x W 28 in.