Stocks Down

In the 1840s, when the railroad industry became the leading growth stock, more American speculators began trading stocks in the hopes of improving their financial situation. Yet this comic print shows one man's despair upon losing money in the stock market. A grimacing, bearded man (shown in half length) pulls his dark hair with his left hand, after crumpling the promotional flyer he holds in his right hand. The slightly crumpled sheet he holds is titled "THE ART OF MAKING/ A FORTUNE IN 2 HOURS./ Inquire of Mr. ...." The title is imprinted in the bottom margin. It is a companion print to "Stocks Up" (P.508, Gale 6267; Metropolitan Museum of Art accession no. 63.550.396).

This lithograph was made by Nathaniel Currier (1813–1881) in his New York City print shop, which issued its first lithographs in 1835. In 1828, Currier had begun his career as the first apprentice to the Boston-based workshop established by William and John Pendleton—the first lithographic house in America. Currier went on to help the Pendleton brothers set up print shops in Philadelphia and New York City, before he took over the New York operation as his own. Expansion led, in 1857, to a partnership with James Merritt Ives (1824–1895); thereafter, the firm was called Currier & Ives. People eagerly acquired Currier & Ives lithographs of rural and city views, picturesque landscapes, historic scenes, ships, trains, domestic life and numerous other subjects, as an inexpensive way to decorate their homes or business establishments. The firm produced thousands and thousands of prints (hand-colored, then printed color) in various sizes that together create a vivid panorama of mid-to-late nineteenth century American life. By the early twentieth century, Currier & Ives had become the most prolific, longest running American printmaking establishment.