The Great International Yacht Race, August 8,1870: From the Club House, Staten Island, N. Y., around the S.W. Spit to and around the Light Ship off Sandy Hook and Back. 40 Miles

Marine views and pictures of ships have long appealed to collectors and popular taste. Undoubtedly, however, this print was made with the well-to-do members of the New York Yacht Club as the intended prospective purchasers.The New York Yacht Club was founded in 1844 by nine prominent sportsmen, who elected James Cox Stevens as the private club's first Commodore. With their first sail from New York City to Newport, Rhode Island, the Club launched the sport of yacht racing. The prestigious America's Cup yacht race dates back to 1851. The first transatlantic yacht race took place in 1866.

In this print showing a yacht race, a two-masted schooner (left) sails ahead of other sailboats, which are depicted behind one another at the right side of the image. At center, the lightship (named "Sandy Hook") flies an assortment of twenty flags and pennants. Inscribed in the bottom margin (left of the title), lines of text state, "Seventeen American and the English Yacht / CAMBRIA started at 11.21 A.M. The race was / won by the MAGIC, which rounded the home stake / boat in 3 hours, 33 minutes, 54 seconds...."

Nathaniel Currier, whose successful New York-based lithography firm began in 1835, produced more than 7,000 hand-colored prints in various sizes that together create a vivid panorama of mid-to-late nineteenth century American life and its history. People eagerly acquired such lithographs featuring picturesque scenery, rural and city views, ships, railroads, portraits, hunting and fishing scenes, domestic life and numerous other subjects, as an inexpensive way to decorate their homes or business establishments. As the firm expanded, Nathaniel included his younger brother Charles in the business. In 1857, James Merritt Ives (the firm's accountant since 1852 and Charles's brother-in-law) was made a business partner; subsequently renamed Currier & Ives, the firm continued until 1907.