New York Ferry Boat

Lithographer Lithographed and published by Currier & Ives American

ca. 1860–65

Not on view

In this marine view, a ferryboat moves left, smoke billows from its central stack, and two large American flags stream backwards, with passengers seen on the decks. Densely packed masts of moored ships in the right background indicate a site near the piers and docks that line Manhattan's southern tip.

The New York firm of Currier & Ives grew from a printing business established by Nathaniel Currier (1813–1888) in 1835. Expansion led, in 1857, to a partnership with James Merritt Ives (1824–1895). The firm operated until 1907, lithographing over 4,000 subjects for distribution across America and Europe with popular categories including landscape, marines, natural history, genre, caricatures, portraits, history and foreign views. Until the 1880s, images were printed in monochrome, then hand-colored by women who worked for the company.

Artwork Details

Title: New York Ferry Boat
Lithographer: Lithographed and published by Currier & Ives (American, active New York, 1857–1907)
Date: ca. 1860–65
Medium: Hand-colored lithograph
Dimensions: Image: 7 15/16 × 12 3/8 in. (20.2 × 31.4 cm)
Image and text: 8 3/4 × 12 3/8 in. (22.2 × 31.4 cm)
Sheet: 13 3/8 × 17 1/2 in. (34 × 44.5 cm)
Classification: Prints
Credit Line: The Edward W. C. Arnold Collection of New York Prints, Maps and Pictures, Bequest of Edward W. C. Arnold, 1954
Object Number: 54.90.785
Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

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1891

The Harvest Moon, Currier & Ives American, Hand-colored lithograph — The Harvest Moon
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1857–71

Man and Two Women (Henderson Ledger Artist B), Frank Henderson Native American, Pencil, colored pencil, and ink on paper, Arapaho — Man and Two Women (Henderson Ledger Artist B)
Frank Henderson
ca. 1882

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