Clipper Ship "Hurricane" of New York

Marine views and other pictures of ships at sea have long appealed to collectors and popular taste. In the mid-nineteenth century, clipper ships were needed for cargo trade and passenger transport. Designed for speed, clipper ships had slender lines, tall masts and square sails. The three-masted "Hurricane" was built in 1851 by Isaac C. Smith in Hoboken, New Jersey, for C. W. & A. Thomas of New York (according to the imprinted inscription in the lower right margin). In 1852, during its first voyage en route to San Francisco, its masts and sails were carried away by a squall, so it stopped at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for repairs. Once repaired, the "Hurricane" arrived in San Francisco after 66 days -- a record for that time. Thereafter, the ship was used mainly for the China tea trade. Nathanial Currier's lithography firm was eager to satisfy the public's desire for pictures of such remarkable, swift ships.

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.