A Swell Sport Stampeded: By Jove -- I say! Was that an Earthquake?

In this comic American West scene, a brown horse (in foreground to right of center) lies on its back in a dry gully, while its bewildered rider is seated with his legs outstretched and his arms propped behind him (lower left). Beneath the brown saddle atop his head, the man has long, drooping sideburns, a mustache and a pointed beard. All his clothing is tattered (his blue-checked jacket, red shirt, spats and his cream-colored pants). The man's rifle, which has broken in half, is in the central foreground. In the background at upper right, a bison herd stampedes away. The print's title is imprinted in the bottom margin; with a caption hinting at the British adventurer's surprised predicament caused by his unexpected encounter with a thundering, stampeding herd of bison. The rest of the background is comprised of a green plain with low mountains ibeyond.


Nathaniel Currier, whose successful New York-based lithography firm began in 1835, produced thousands of 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. The artist of this print is Thomas Worth, a prolific nineteenth-century illustrator who excelled at drawing horses and other subjects, many of which were made into lithographs published by Currier & Ives.