George Washington

Description:

This lithograph of bust length portrait of George Washington is based on a painting by Gilbert Stuart and was published by Currier and Ives. The image is a reverse view of the 1796 Athenanean portrait. Prints of George Washington were frequestly used in public school classrooms from the late 19th Century through most of the 20th Century. Around 1900 the Youth's Companion Magazine created a subscription promotional for schools to boost magazine sales while encouraging patriotic images in classrooms. This was a continuation of the Americanization movement that began with the "Flag over every Schoolhouse" campaign. Prints of Wahington and Lincoln were also common in school supply catalogs.

Nathaniel Currier (1813-1888) was born in Roxbury, Massachusetts, and after serving an apprenticeship in Boston, he moved to New York City in 1834. In New York, he briefly partnered with Adam Stodart, but their firm dissolved within a year, and Currier went into business on his own until 1857. James M. Ives (1824-1895) was a native New York lithographer who was hired as a bookkeeper by Currier in 1852. In 1857, the two men partnered, forming the famous lithography firm of Currier and Ives, which continued under their sons until 1907.

Gilbert Stuart (1755-1828) was a successful portrait painter from Rhode Island most noted for his life portraits and their numerous copies of George Washington.