The Parson's Colt: Hears a Trotter Behind Him and Won't be Stopped, If It Is Sunday

Thomas Worth, among America’s prolific nineteenth-century illustrators, excelled at drawing horses and comic subjects, many of which were made into lithographs published by Currier & Ives. In this scene. two horses -- each pulling a carriage-- speed from left to right along a street in front of a church. In the foreground, a driver (dressed in a blue jacket and cap) of a high-wheeled sulky tries to pass the parson's four-wheeled carriage, thereby spooking the parson's colt. As the colt stretches ahead into a gallop, the alarmed parson unsuccessfully pulls back on the reins; the speed of the horse has caused the parson's top hat and wig to fly off, as well as the pages of his sermon. In the background, a small crowd stands on the entry steps of the church and watch the speeding horse-drawn vehicles. The title is imprinted in the bottom margin.








Nathaniel Currier (1813–1888), who established a successful New York-based lithography firm in 1835, produced thousands of hand-colored prints in various sizes that together create a vivid panorama of mid-to-late nineteenth century America. In 1857, James Merritt Ives (1824–1895), the accounting-savvy brother-in-law of Nathaniel's brother Charles, was made a business partner. People eagerly acquired Currier & Ives lithographs, such as those featuring spectacular American landscapes, rural and city views, hunting and fishing scenes, domestic life and numerous other subjects, as an inexpensive way to decorate their homes or business establishments.