Across the Continent: "Westward the Course of Empire Takes its Way"

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, 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 recruited his younger brother Charles into 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.

Starting in 1853, Nathaniel Currier (and later Currier & Ives) published thirty prints featuring trains for those Americans wanting pictures of the then-modern mode of transportation that provided a convenient way to travel and ship goods around the country. To capitalize on public interest in the first railroad linking the eastern and western parts of the United States, and to help the government promote westward expansion, this picturesque print was issued in 1868, a year before the transcontinental railroad was actually completed. The lithograph presents a dramatic vista of the American West, with its alluring potential for pioneering settlers to establish outposts of civilization in the vast wilderness. In the lower right, the new transcontinental train (identified as "Through Line: New York San Francisco"), with its locomotive puffing black smoke, heads diagonally along railroad tracks laid across a fertile green plain extending to the horizon. At the lower left, four men chop down trees beside a thriving, small frontier settlement of log buildings, including a school house in the central foreground. A group of townspeople waves to passengers on the train. In the lower right foreground, the train's smoke blows towards two Native Americans on horseback, as if to foreshadow how industry will pollute nature and transform their way of life. Parallel to the railroad tracks, a line of telegraph poles are being installed so as to provide communication connections between the coasts; also, there is a dirt trail, with several covered wagons (including three leaving the settlement) traveling westward. In the right distance, there is a scenic mountain range beyond a river, where a man in a canoe is visible.

This lithograph ranks among Frances Flora (Fanny) Palmer's most celebrated prints; its realization from initial sketch in 1862 to final print was guided by James Ives. .Although it was unusual for a woman to achieve prominence in a printing firm, Palmer filled an important role for the Currier and Ives firm, as she created the firm's best landscapes and most engaging scenes of daily life. Born in England, where she was an accomplished artist and printmaker, Palmer came to New York City in 1844. Shortly thereafter, she and her husband Seymour opened a small printshop in lower Manhattan. In 1849, the couple moved to Brooklyn after closing their business. Around this time, Nathaniel Currier began to buy print designs from Palmer; after 1857, she became a staff artist for Currier & Ives. Palmer produced more than 200 prints for the firm and today is regarded as a leading woman lithographer of the period.