A Night on the Hudson: "Through at Daylight"

From the 1840s to the mid-1860s, many passengers traveling between New York City and Albany, New York, preferred to go via steamship along the scenic Hudson River -- a trip that averaged about seven and half hours each way. This print depicts two steamships --"Isaac Newton" and "Francis Skiddy" (both being among the largest Hudson River boats of their day) -- gliding along at moonlight during their night voyage; a shining lamp affixed to the prows of each ship lights the waters ahead. Each ship offered comfortable cabins and staterooms for its passengers, as well as saloons (note the lit rooms) and extensive promenades along the second deck. It is likely that this print commemorates these two favorite ships which transported so many for years along the Hudson River route; the "Francis Skiddy" (launched in 1852) ran aground and was wrecked on November 5, 1864 four miles south of Albany; the "Isaac Newton," which sailed this river route for eighteen years, was destroyed in December 1863 by a huge explosion near what is today Washington Heights.


Nathaniel Currier, whose New York-based lithography establishment 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. 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 partner; the business was subsequently renamed Currier & Ives. Over the decades, people eagerly acquired 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. Although it was unusual for a woman to achieve such prominence in a printing firm, Frances Flora (Fanny) Palmer was one of the most important artists working for Nathaniel Currier, and later Currier and Ives, between 1849 and 1868, when she produced approximately 200 of the firm's best landscapes and most engaging scenes of daily life.