Stocks Up

In the 1840s, when the railroad industry became the leading growth stock, more American speculators began trading stocks as a means to improve one's financial situation. In this comic print, a man (shown in half-length) glances at the viewer as he smiles with a slightly smug look, hinting at his profitable gain -- a situation reinforced by the print's title (imprinted in the bottom margin). His light brown-gray hair is combed over his balding head, and he has rosy cheeks and a double, dimpled chin. He wears a tan coat over a black jacket and vest, a white shirt and white bow tie. He also wears a jeweled pin in one button hole, a ruby-jeweled lanyard draped down his chest, and a gold watch chain across his belly. Several rings are on the fingers of his right hand, which holds the man's right lapel. In his left hand, he holds a sheet of paper labeled "Sales at the/STOCK EXCHANGE/ U.S./TREASURY...." Smoky-gray shading comprises the background. This is a companion print to "Stocks Down" (Peters 507, Gale 6266; Metropolitan Museum of Art accession no. 63.550.324).


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.