The Butt of the Jokers

In this comic horse race, two men are in an open four-wheeled carriage (at left) drawn by a spirited team of dark brown horses. They laugh as they are about to overtake a surprised old man slowly driving a covered, two-wheeled buggy pulled by an old gray-white horse. The "joker" at the far left raises his left hand holdng a cigar butt above the head of his driver companion. The old man grimaces in consternation.


Nathaniel Currier (1813–1888), who established a successful New York-based lithography firm 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. In 1857, Currier made James Merritt Ives (1824–1895) a business partner. People eagerly acquired Currier & Ives lithographs, such as those featuring spectacular American landscapes, rural and city views, marines, caricatures, portraits, domestic life and numerous other subjects, as an inexpensive way to decorate their homes or business establishments. The firm operated until 1907. Until the 1880s, images were printed in monochrome, then hand-colored by women who worked for the company; later prints were printed in color.