A Patriot of 1776 Defending His Homestead

For the Centennial of the United States, Currier & Ives produced several American historical prints envisioned from the Revolutionary War period. In this print, a British soldier lies dead (or wounded) in front of the doorway of a wooden house (far right)`. At center, a man (the patriot) lunges with a sword upraiised in his right hand to attack a British dragoon on horseback. The dragoon leans slightly backward as the patriot also uses his left hand to push against the rifle held by the dragoon.Three British soldiers turn away on the field in the left middleground. All the British soldiers wear red jackets. The title is imprinted in the bottom margin.

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