Regatta of the New York Yacht Club, June 1st, 1854 -- Rounding the S.W. Spit

Marine views and pictures of ships have long appealed to collectors and popular taste. Undoubtedly, however, this print was made with the well-to-do members of the New York Yacht Club as the intended prospective purchasers.The New York Yacht Club was founded in 1844 by nine prominent sportsmen, who elected James Cox Stevens as the private club's first Commodore. They made their first sail from New York City to Newport, Rhode Island. On June 6, 1848, the Club's first annual regatta took place, thereby launching a tradition of yacht racing and an annual regatta that has occurred almost every year since (except during wartime).

This print depicts the Club's Regatta of June 1, 1854 with all the yachts sailing towards the left, where the leading schooner "Ray" is heeling over as it turns ("comes about"). Thanks to the key of yacht names beneath the image, the viewer is able to identify "Una" (shown broadside at center) with all its crew scrambling to maneuver the sails, so it can remain ahead of a long line of yachts receding diagonally into the right distance. As recorded in the Club archives, "Una" was the ultimate winner, followed by "Ray," and "L'Esperance."

Nathaniel Currier, whose successful New York-based lithography firm began in 1835, produced more than 7,000 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.