The Jolly Hunters

Currier & Ives produced this print as a comic country scene showing four dark monkeys riding "galloping" hunting dogs (headed left from the right) as they chase a cat (at far left). At the lower right, one of the monkeys and his dog have fallen backwards to the ground. All the monkeys are dressed in British riding outfits: three wear red jackets, yellow breeches, and black boots; one wears an elegant blue jacket, yellow breeches, black boots and a black top hat; and one female wears a dark riding habit: The title is imprinted in the bottom margin.

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 America. In 1857, James Merritt Ives (1824–1895), the accounting-savvy brother-in-law of Nathaniel's brother Charles, was made a business partner. People eagerly acquired Currier & Ives lithographs, such as those featuring spectacular American landscapes, rural and city views, hunting and fishing scenes, domestic life and numerous other subjects, as an inexpensive way to decorate their homes or business establishments.