Noah's Ark, an Old Testament story, appealed to 19th-century children as part of their Bible study. The animals also appeared in the form of games and toys. Prints of religious scenes and other uplifting subjects were recommended as encouraging moral improvement, especially for the benefit of children. Currier and Ives published half-a-dozen different versions of Noah's Ark in several sizes. The firm issued hundreds of religious prints featuring Christian subjects for both Catholic and Protestant devotions. A number of these images were produced with titles in Spanish and French for immigrants and for foreign markets.
The firm of Currier and Ives was an important publisher of American lithographs. Nathaniel Currier produced his first prints in the 1830s and, after 1857 with his partner James M. Ives, enjoyed great success publishing what the firm advertised as "cheap, popular pictures for the people." Currier and Ives produced more than 7,000 titles over nearly eight decades, and their name has become synonymous with the 19th-century American popular print.
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