Speeding on the Avenue

This print shows a road crowded with a multitude of light carriages drawn by horses trotting briskly in both directions on a straight road in the country air--away from the congestion of urban streets. Nineteenth-century horse owners pursued exercising and racing their horses as a popular social pastime. At the far right background is a glimpse of the High Bridge (originally called Aqueduct Bridge), which crosses the Harlem River in the northern part of New York City. The aqueduct, completed in 1848 as part of the Croton Acqueduct, brought a plentiful water supply to city residents; today, this structure remains as New York City's oldest bridge.

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.