The Danger Signal

Currier & Ives produced many popular pictures of trains glorifying their strength and speed as a modern form of passenger travel and cargo transport. Yet this dramatic railroad night scene, issued for the advertising purposes of the United States Mutual Accident Association headquartered in New York City, hints at impending danger. In this close-up view of a locomotive (with black smoke trailing from its smoke stack) and coal car heading towards the left distance, the viewer can see the engineer and stoker who are alarmed by the sight of an oncoming train heading towards them on the same track. To avoid a collision disaster, they try to signal the other train to stop, hence the print’s title "The Danger Signal." Lest the viewer miss the promotional intent of the insurance company, which warns prospective railroad owners and other businesses that "accidents will happen," the lettering on the train cars declares the company as the best in the world, as it offers the "sale of accident assurance at half rates."

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, boats, 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 recruited his younger brother Charles to help. 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.