The Bark "Theoxena"

Marine views and pictures of ships have long appealed to collectors and popular taste. To meet consumer demand, Nathaniel Currier produced dozens of lithographs of American ships; such prints often generated good publicity for the ship's builder, owner, as well as the captain. The barque (or bark) Theoxena was built in Thomaston, Maine in 1848; this image shows the ship at sea in full sail, flying American and French flags.

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 recruited his younger brother Charles to help 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.