Landing a Trout

In this humorous scene with a picturesque stream in the woods, a fisherman has fallen backwards off a long log into the water. His legs (covered in long boots) are high in the air, and his torso and head are submerged in the water, yet he still holds tight to his fishing rod with a hooked trout now bouncing in the air on the log. The fisherman is unaware that the fish he caught earlier are now escaping from his sinking creel. His howling wet dog clings to the other side of the log. The print's title is imprinted in the bottom margin.

Nathaniel Currier (1813–1888), who had established his successful New York-based lithography firm in 1835, produced thousands of hand-colored prints in various sizes that together create a vivid panorama of nineteenth century American life. In 1857, Currier made James Merritt Ives (1824–1895) a business partner; the Currier & Ives firm operated until 1907. Many eagerly acquired Currier & Ives lithographs, such as those featuring spectacular American landscapes, rural and city views, images of boats and trains, hunting and fishing scenes, domestic life, and numerous other subjects, as an inexpensive way to decorate their homes or business establishments.