The Deacon's Mare: Getting the Word "Go!" from a Bad Little Boy on a Sunday Morning

In this print, an out-of-control horse-drawn carriage heads down the street towards the lower left of the image. In the carriage, the Deacon and his wife (who wears a green dress and gray bonnet) pull on the reins to slow down their galloping white horse. In the foreground, a boy (abandoning the basket he was carrying) and two dogs run to get out of the way of the spooked horse, as does a flying rooster. At right, a boy in tattered clothing sits atop a post and waves his hat; he had shouted "Go!" thereby causing the commotion on the street. Outside the church at the upper left, a small crowd watches with astonishment. The print's title and caption are imprinted in the bottom margin.


Nathaniel Currier (1813–1888), 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 (1824–1895), the firm's accountant since 1852 and Charles's brother-in-law, was made a business partner. Subsequently renamed Currier & Ives, the firm continued via their successors until 1907. The artist of this print is Thomas Worth, a prolific nineteenth-century illustrator who excelled at drawing horses and other subjects, many of which were made into lithographs published by Currier & Ives.