The Road – Summer

Nathaniel Currier, whose successful New York-based lithography firm began in 1835, produced thousands of hand-colored 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, 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.

In this horse-and-buggy scene, a bearded man wearing a tan coat and black top hat drives a four-wheeled buggy, pulled by a dark horse with its black tail clipped short, from right to left. The wheels cause dust to rise from the dirt road. The background is comprised of a rolling, grassy landscape, with small groups of trees at left and at center; beyond, there is a view of boats on a river (the Hudson?) and the opposite river bank.