Ahead of the World! The Great American Four Track Railroad: Lightning Express Passenger and Freight Trains, Always on Time

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 more than 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. In this railroad scene, a bustling depot is served by four tracks, with incoming and outgoing trains on alternate tracks. On the platform at the lower left, there is a crowd of passengers and porters dealing with various trunks and cargo. In the right background, there is a distant town (accented by a steeple). This rare print suggests how rail transport was transforming rural America in the 1870s.