A Darktown Glide: "Aint dis jes lubly!"

The late nineteenth-century Darktown prints by Currier & Ives depict racist stereotypes that are offensive and disturbing. The Metropolitan Museum of Art preserves such works to shed light on their historical context and to enable the study and evaluation of racism.

tThis print caricatures Black (African American) roller skaters who are skating in an elegant white wood interior skating rink (with coved ceiling and large paned windows). In the foreground (facing the viewer), a couple-- both elegantly attired-- skate in unison with their hands clasped. He wears a long cream-colored coat, striped light blue pants, and a black top hat; she wears a blue dress beneath a red-leaf-patterned/yellow striped pinafore and a red hat adorned with blue feathers.They are both unaware that a youth, wearing a green suit and cap, is skating behind them (at left); he is starting to lose his balance and his open mouth and wide eyes express alarm. In the background, there are other skaters (at right) and a few seated spectators (at left).The title and caption are imprinted in the bottom margin.

Nathaniel Currier, whose successful New York-based lithography firm began in 1835, produced thousands of 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.