Rounding the Light Ship

Marine views and pictures of sailing ships have long appealed to collectors and popular taste. This print was probably 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. They made their first sail from New York City to Newport, Rhode Island. On June 6, 1848, the Club's first annual regatta took place, thereby launching a tradition of yacht racing and an annual regatta that has occurred almost every year since (except during wartime). The prestigious America's Cup yacht race dates back to 1851.

In this yacht race print, a two-masted schooner under full sail heads left as it takes the lead; it has just passed the "Sandy Hook" light ship, which flies many pennants arranged on two vertical lines. At the right of the image, there is a long line of yachts (sailing one behind the other) approaching the lightship. In the right distance, a smokestack of a steamship is visible.


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.