Clipper Ship "Sovereign of the Seas"

Marine views and other pictures of ships at sea have long appealed to collectors and popular taste. In the mid-nineteenth century, fast clipper ships were needed for cargo trade and passenger transport. Built in 1852 by Donald McKay of East Boston, Massachusetts, the "Sovereign of the Seas" had the largest and sharpest bow and stern of any vessel then built, with an overall length of 265 feet (as the lithograph's imprinted text states). Soon after its maiden voyage to San Francisco, it was chartered by the Black Ball Line of Liverpool, England, to transport passengers and cargo to and from Australia. Admired for graceful design, this large clipper soon established a world record as the fastest sailing ship -- a record it kept for decades.

Nathanial Currier's lithography firm, founded in New York in 1835, was eager to satisfy the public's desire for pictures of such remarkable, swift ships. Over the decades, his firm 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.