A Kiss in the Dark: Mischievous Conductor -- "Dark Tunnel, Through in Half and Hour"; Scene-- When the Train Struck the LIght in Just 3 Minutes

This two-panel comical scene shows the interior of a train car with passengers seated on elegant seats arranged in rows (flanking a central aisle), while the conductor is in the background. The humorous situation is a 2-part narrative with its title and captions printed in the bottom margin below each image; each image focuses on the actions of the passengers in the two front rows (closest to the viewer). In the first part, that is, the LEFT panel (here described from right to left): a well-dressed young man (wearing a light tan jacket, green pants, and black top hat) sits with his legs crossed besides his pet dog (a terrier); he has placed his right arm jauntily on the back of his seat so he can glance at the pretty young woman seated in the row behind him. Across the aisle from him, an older man (wearing a dark suit and top hat) reads a book; behind him, a Black (African American) woman (a nanny) holds a white child on her lap. In the second part, that is the RIGHT panel, the viewer gets to see what happened when the train was in the dark of a short tunnel (not a long one as the conductor had announced): the young man has placed his top hat over the dog's head as he lunges to embrace the woman behind him. But, she had switched places with the Black nanny, so, the white woman laughs (while holding the child on her lap), as the man kisses instead the Black woman (who is wide-eyed with surprise). The older man has lowered his book, and is sneaking a drink from his liquor flask. In the background, a male passenger raises his arms as he laughs at what has happened; heads of other passengers are also indicated.


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.