Barefaced Cheek

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 fisherman who has just discovered his surprising predicament. Two black bears, on either end of a tree trunk spanning a stream, have trapped him in the middle and stolen his creel (basket) of caught fish and drink. The shock has caused the man to drop his fishing pole into the water and his hat to fly off. He stares in amazement at the seated bear (at left) about to eat a fish from his catch. The standing bear (at right) holds the man's green flask in its right paw, and is about to take a drink. In the background (on the other side of the stream), green trees and bushes indicate the country setting.

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.