Between Two Fires

Thomas Worth was a prolific nineteenth-century illustrator who excelled at drawing horses and other subjects, many of which were made into lithographs published by Currier & Ives. In this print, Worth's use of a humorous verbal-visual pun shows a poacher, holding his shotgun rifle upright and carrying on his back a basket full of game birds, trapped in an awkward predicament. At the center of the image, he gingerly straddles the middle of a wooden rail fence that spans a brook; he is afraid to proceed to either bank. On the left bank, a growling dog jumps menacingly; on the right bank, an angry bearded farmer, carrying a pitchfork, runs toward him with his right fist raised. Both banks have the same sign posted saying, "NO SHOOTING/ ON THIS SIDE/ OF THE BROOK."


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.