Paddy Murphy's "Jantin Car"

Headed from right to left on a park road, a black horse trots smartly as it pulls a flat-bed wagon carrying its driver and five passengers. The driver sits stiffly facing ahead; he holds a whip upright in his right hand. Beside the driver, a man (dressed in a blue jacket, red vest, white pants with a red patch, and a top hat) extends his right hand (holding a pipe) towards the horse as he turns to addess the nicely-dressed couple seated on the side of the wagon. The man of the couple, who is dressed in a dark blue suit and top hat, smokes his pipe and sits with his legs crossed, while his right hand holds the woman's hands, and he places his left arm around her. She is dressed in a red skirt, a yellowish plaid cloak, and a bonnet adorned with a light blue ribbon. Seated at the back of the wagon, a barefoot man, who wears a blue jacket, pants, and cap, looks at the view behind him; he holds a black umbrella (?). Behind the driver, there is a glimpse of another passenger -- a man wearing a brown jacket and top hat; he holds his umbrella aloft. At right, the head and neck of a horse following the wagon is shown. Lush green trees extend across the background; at the left background is a column monument with a figure on top.The title is imprinted in the bottom margin.


Nathaniel Currier, whose successful New York-based lithography firm began in 1835, produced thousands of 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, including political cartoons, 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.