This black and white lithograph depicts a central scene of an interior with a woman wearing a veil, collapsed in an armchair. Two men standing near her appear to be arguing. The central scene rests on an easel and is surrounded by four vignettes, with a circular bust portrait of Bartley Campbell at the top center. The complicated plot involves the betrayal of a well-born woman by her artist husband and her ultimate vindication and revenge.
The names of two actors, Frank Evans and J. J. Sullivan, have been added in colored lettering on the left and right margins. An early playbill contains the names of these actors as cast members for performances of The Galley Slave at Haverly’s Theatre in New York in 1880. The Galley Slave was made into a 1915 film starring Theda Bara.
Bartley T. Campbell (1843-1888), was a journalist, novelist, poet, dramatist, and theatrical manager. He was born to Irish immigrant parents in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and began his writing career at age 15 as a reporter for the Pittsburgh Post . He also worked for newspapers in Louisville, Kentucky, and Cincinnati, Ohio, and founded the Southern Monthly Magazine in New Orleans, Louisiana. After the success of his first melodrama, Through Fire , in 1871, Campbell gave up journalism for playwrighting and experimented with everything from comedies to domestic dramas to military sagas. Several of his works, including The White Slave , focused on racial themes and the plight of mixed race characters. Another of his plays, Siberia , featured many prominent actors of the day and toured in England, Australia, and New Zealand. After an 1876 trip to London, Bartley Campbell began to write the western dramas for which he became especially famous, including The Vigilantes , or, The Heart of the Sierras . He has been described as America's first "first fully professional dramatist" ( The Oxford Companion to American Theatre ), and he also produced and directed plays. Later in life Bartley Campbell suffered from financial and mental problems and died at the State Hospital for the Insane in Middletown, New York.
This lithograph was produced by Henry Atwell Thomas (1834-1904). He was an artist, portrait painter, and lithographer especially well known for his theatrical portraits. His New York firm was called H. A. Thomas Lith. Studio until 1887, when it became H. A. Thomas & Wylie Lithographic (sometimes cited as Lithography or Lithographing) Company.
This black and white print contains oval bust portraits of three men, along with three smaller heads of black cherubs with wings, a pan flute, and a lyre. Overprinted directly onto the poster in blue ink is the advertisement of the location and dates of some performances. The notification printed on top in blue reads: “Newark Opera House, Saturday, June 1st / Birch, Wambold & Backus.” Below the portraits is the statement “San Francisco Minstrels from their / Opera House Broadway & 29th Street, New York, ” which was designed to convey Broadway legitimacy on a trio from New York and New Jersey that first established themselves on the west coast.
Charles Backus (1831-1883), Billy Birch (1831-1897), and D. S. Wambold (1836-1889) belonged to a performing group called the San Francisco Minstrels that was founded in San Francisco in the mid-1860s, in part to make fun of what they viewed as the elitist tastes of San Francisco opera and serious drama fans. They went on to appear on New York-area stages for the next two decades, becoming one of the highest paid minstrel groups of their time. Like other minstrel performers, they performed in blackface and parodied what was considered in the period stereotypical African-American mannerisms and behavior, but they also poked fun at the social and political mores of white society. These performers were said to be a favorite of American author Mark Twain.
Charles Backus was born in Rochester, New York, and moved to San Francisco, California, in 1852. He performed with minstrel groups and circuses in countries around the world, including England, Australia, Egypt, India, and China, before helping form the San Francisco Minstrels with Birch and Wambold in 1864. Known as a talented mimic, his specialties included social parody and imitations of popular actors.
William Birch was a comedian born in Utica, New York, who began appearing in small town minstrel shows in his early teens. He crisscrossed the United States performing with various minstrel groups before helping establish the San Francisco Minstrels, where he was celebrated for his originality and clever word play.
David S. Wambold was born in Elizabethtown, New Jersey. He joined a small minstrel group when he was just 13 years old and toured with other shows in the United States and Europe before helping form the San Francisco Minstrels. His tenor voice made him one of the most highly praised ballad singers of his time.
This lithograph was produced by Henry Atwell Thomas. Henry Atwell Thomas (1834-1904) was an artist, portrait painter, and lithographer especially well known for his theatrical portraits. His New York firm was called H. A. Thomas Lith. Studio until 1887, when it became H. A. Thomas & Wylie Lithographic (sometimes cited as Lithography or Lithographing) Company.
This black and white print depicts a man, Joseph K. Emmet, in the center scene giving a child a piggyback ride. Two men and two women look on. In each of the four corners there are bust portraits of Emmet in familiar roles. A banner across the bottom proclaims: “Pronounced by press and public to be the best drama Mr. Emmet has ever appeared in.” The top edge of a handbill is pasted to the bottom. It has been cut off but someone has written on it "Grand" (maybe in pencil?)
Joseph Klein (frequently spelled Kline) “Fritz” Emmet (1841-1891) was a singer and comedian born in St. Louis, Missouri. He was drawn to the stage after apprenticing with a sign maker who also created sets for local playhouses. At around age 17 he began working as a snare drummer for Joseph Escher’s orchestra. He also showed a talent for yodeling and soon got a job with a local minstrel show. Moving on to New York, he appeared with Dan Bryant’s Minstrels, a German blackface group, and then in variety shows. Over time he developed a character called "Dutch," who wore wooden shoes and a cap and sang in fractured English. In 1870, Emmet made his debut in the role that would turn him into one of the most successful performers of his time, as the lead in Fritz, Our Cousin German. Portraying a young man seeking his long-lost sister, with a signature song called “Emmet’s Lullaby,” he appeared as Fritz on stages throughout the United States and Europe for the rest of his life. His other roles included Carl, the Fiddler (1871) Max, the Merry Swiss Boy (1873), and Fritz in Ireland (1879). His appeal was enhanced by his dancing skills, his mastery of musical instruments like the guitar, violin, and harmonica, his Irish tenor voice, and his personal charm. Emmet also became celebrated for the eccentric mansion he built on 15 acres overlooking the Hudson River near Albany, New York. "Fritz Villa," as it came to be known, featured an eclectic mix of towers, gables, stained glass windows--even a windmill--and was influenced by Emmet's exposure to various architectural styles during his travels through Europe. Unfortunately, by 1890 Emmet was having sobriety issues. He divorced his wife in 1891, became engaged to his leading lady, and died shortly after.
This lithograph was produced by Henry Atwell Thomas (1834-1904) who was an artist, portrait painter, and lithographer especially well known for his theatrical portraits. His New York firm was called H. A. Thomas Lith. Studio until 1887, when it became H. A. Thomas & Wylie Lithographic (sometimes cited as Lithography or Lithographing) Company.
A color print of a track filled with race horses being ridden hard by jockeys. The spectators behind the railing are very fashionably dressed. A woman in a long blue gown and red cape and hat is escorted by a man in a black jacket and high hat. The other men wear vests, white shirts, bow ties, caps, and trousers. The jockeys wear jodhpurs, colorful jackets, and caps.
Saratoga Race Course is located in Saratoga Springs, New York, a neighbor to the area’s famous mineral springs. It is the oldest racetrack left in the United States and considered possibly the oldest sporting venue in the country. Beginning in 1847 it hosted Standardbred trotting races before reopening across the street. The first Thoroughbred race took place on August 3, 1863, a day after the Battle of Gettysburg. It was organized by boxer and future Congressman John “Old Smoke” Morrissey drawing thousands of locals and tourists wanting to see Lizzie W. defeat Captain Moore in the best-of-three series of races. New York’s prohibition on gambling put a stop to the races in 1911 and 1912, but very few other exceptions have historically stopped the races, which have been held almost every year since opening. The first betting machines were installed there in 1940. The population of Saratoga Springs still triples to 75,000 when the racing season begins in the summer and the opening meet has been extended from four days to forty.
Heinrich or Henry Schile’s was a lithographer and publisher in New York in the 1870’s, listed on Division Street. Though his works often were German in source or character, and often bore titles in foreign languages, it was for the convenience of immigrants and invariably and outrageously were crude in conception, composition, and drawing; yet, Schile’s prints are undoubtedly American in spirit. Schile vividly represented the melting pot mentality of the US. Schile played to his audiences’ desires for history of the new country they had immigrated to; from personifications of America, to the races in Saratoga. Schile’s patrons were mostly immigrants and he created specific works from them, from German inspired to Jewish religious prints. His most frequent and popular works were his gaudy sentimentals which were to the New York tenements what the Kellogg sentimentals were to the white New Englanders.
Schile’s works were often large in quantity and were often on heavy black paper; though the paper often ranged from the thinnest to the very thickest. Notable to Peter’s was that the coloring was very crude in many of the prints.
This black and white print depicts a man recoiling in alarm with his arms raised standing over a girl who is kneeling. She is dressed in a peasant costume, likely German, and appears to be overcome with emotion. In the background, a man takes advantage of the commotion to sneak away with an infant in his arms. Beneath the title, “J. K. Emmet’s ‘New Fritz’” is the statement: “Pronounced by press and public to be the best drama Mr. Emmet has ever appeared in.” The words "Opera House" are printed on a torn top half of a handbill which is pasted across the bottom margin.
Joseph Klein (frequently spelled Kline) “Fritz” Emmet (1841-1891) was a singer and comedian born in St. Louis, Missouri. He was drawn to the stage after apprenticing with a sign maker who also created sets for local playhouses. At around age 17 he began working as a snare drummer for Joseph Escher’s orchestra. He also showed a talent for yodeling and soon got a job with a local minstrel show. Moving on to New York, he appeared with Dan Bryant’s Minstrels, a German blackface group, and then in variety shows. Over time he developed a character called "Dutch," who wore wooden shoes and a cap and sang in fractured English. In 1870 Emmet made his debut in the role that would turn him into one of the most successful performers of his time, as the lead in Fritz, Our Cousin German. Portraying a young man seeking his lost sister, with a signature song called “Emmet’s Lullaby,” he appeared as Fritz on stages throughout the United States and Europe for the rest of his life. His other roles included Carl, the Fiddler (1871), Max, the Merry Swiss Boy (1873), and Fritz in Ireland (1879).
His appeal was enhanced by his dancing skills, his mastery of musical instruments like the guitar, violin, and harmonica, his Irish tenor voice, and his personal charm. Emmet also became celebrated for the eccentric mansion he built on 15 acres overlooking the Hudson River near Albany, New York. "Fritz Villa," as it came to be known, featured an eclectic mix of towers, gables, stained glass windows--even a windmill--and was influenced by Emmet's exposure to various architectural styles during his travels through Europe. Unfortunately, by 1890 Emmet was having sobriety issues. He divorced his wife in 1891, became engaged to his leading lady, and died shortly after.
This lithograph was produced by Henry Atwell Thomas (1834-1904) who was an artist, portrait painter, and lithographer especially well known for his theatrical portraits. His New York firm was called H. A. Thomas Lith. Studio until 1887, when it became H. A. Thomas & Wylie Lithographic (sometimes cited as Lithography or Lithographing) Company.
Colored print of a little boy in a blue sailor suit and yellow brimmed hat, hoisting an American flag from the deck of an ocean ship. An anchor and an axe lie at his feet.
Colored print of a family watching from the shore as a small boat filled with people heads out to a larger vessel that waits on the horizon. Crude cottages with thatched roofs in background.
Black and white print after an etching. Illustration from the Legend of Sleepy Hollow showing Ichabod Crane on horseback fleeing the "Headless Horseman" in terror through the woods.
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, a short story by celebrated American author Washington Irving, was first published in 1820 without illustrations in “The Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent.” Best known for his popular stories of Rip Van Winkle and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Irving achieved acclaim in Europe and the U.S. over the course of his successful writing career. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow was included in “The Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent” while Irving was living in Europe. Thus, he was one of the earliest American authors to survive merely on his writing. Irving’s stories have remained an emblem of American culture as they were some of the first short stories that aimed to entertain rather than educate. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow story inspired artists to create beautiful illustrations like the one included in this print.
The gothic story The Legend of Sleepy Hollow tells of a man named Ichabod Crane who comes to Tarrytown, New York, known in the story as Sleepy Hollow, as a teacher. As he tries to win the heart of the beautiful Katrina Van Tassel, he ultimately finds himself being chased by the village’s feared legend, the Headless Horsemen. The story ends with a smashed pumpkin being found in the place where Ichabon disappeared, never to be seen again. This story is particularly popular around Halloween.
This print illustrates Ichabod Crane fleeing the Headless Horseman, whose body is angled in such a way to make him appear headless. Ichabod’s expression shows his fear, which matches the fear in his white horse’s eyes. The chase takes place in a dark and desolate wood. The Headless Horseman is just behind Ichabod, so it is clear that this takes place just before Ichabod was overtaken.
Sarony, Major, & Knapp was one of the largest lithographic firms at the end of the 19th and the early of the 20th centuries. However, before it achieved this success it started out small in 1843 when Napoleon Sarony and James P. Major joined together to start a business. Later in 1857, Joseph F. Knapp joined the company making it Sarony, Major, & Knapp. At the time that this was printed, Knapp was not a part of the business, so it was just Sarony & Major.
Felix O. C. Darley (1822-1888), the artist behind the twelve best-known illustrations for The Legend of the Sleepy Hollow, is considered one of America’s best illustrators. The publisher was the American Art Union, (1839-1857) a subscription organization created to educate the public about American art and artists while providing support for American artists. For $5.00 members would receive admissions to the gallery showing, a yearly report, and an engraving of an original work, as well as any benefits each chapter might provide. Two special editions of the story, each with a set of six of Darley’s illustrations were published; the special edition including this illustration was published in 1850. This print has been rebound with the five others at the back of the book and the cover is incorrectly from the earlier Rip Van Winkle edition published for the American Art Union, however the title page and text are of Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.
Rip Van Winkle, a short story by celebrated American author Washington Irving, was first published in 1819 without illustrations in “The Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent.” Best known for his popular stories of Rip Van Winkle and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Irving achieved acclaim in Europe and the U.S. over the course of his successful writing career. Rip Van Winkle was included in “The Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent” while Irving was living in Europe. Thus, he was one of the earliest American authors to survive merely on his writing. Irving’s stories have remained an emblem of American culture as they were some of the first short stories that aimed to entertain rather than educate. The two best known Irving stories- Rip Van Winkle and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow have inspired artists to create beautiful illustrations like the one included in this print.
The gothic story Rip Van Winkle tells of an ordinary 19th century man who lives in the Dutch Kaatskills (currently the Catskills of New York). He struggles with his nagging wife, Dame Van Winkle, and in an effort to escape her on an especially bad day, he flees to the woods with his dog and his gun. While in the woods, he meets a stranger who is a representation of the spirits of Hendrick Hudson, and is instructed to serve these spirits a precious drink. Tempted, he tries the drink as well and ultimately becomes so drunk that he falls into a deep sleep. When he wakes, he thinks that it is merely the next morning, but it becomes clear that 20 years have passed. He is now an old widow with Loyalist sentiments that show he is living in the past, prior to the American Revolution. The story ends with Rip Van Winkle living a peaceful life in the home of his daughter, finally free from his wife’s nagging.
This print illustrates a young Rip Van Winkle in a domestic setting. He calmly attends to his pipe while an angry looking woman, presumably his nagging wife, scowls at him. Another woman with a calmer expression has the angry woman in an embrace, evidently taking the side of Rip Van Winkle with this particular squabble. Also depicted in the illustration are two children, likely the two children of the Van Winkle family, Rip Van Winkle’s dog Wolf, and some other animal that is obscured by the washbasin table on which the two women are working.
Sarony, Major, & Knapp was one of the largest lithographic firms at the end of the the end of the 19th and the early of the 20th centuries. However, before it achieved this success it started out small in 1843 when Napoleon Sarony and James P. Major joined together to start a business. Later in 1857, Joseph F. Knapp joined the company making it Sarony, Major, & Knapp. At the time that this was printed, Knapp was not a part of the business, so it was just Sarony & Major.
Felix O. C. Darley (1822-1888), the artist behind the twelve best-known illustrations for The Legend of the Sleepy Hollow, is considered one of America’s best illustrators. The publisher was the American Art Union, (1839-1857) a subscription organization created to educate the public about American art and artists while providing support for American artists. For $5.00 members would receive admissions to the gallery showing, a yearly report, and an engraving of an original work, as well as any benefits each chapter might provide. Two special editions of the story, each with a set of six of Darley’s illustrations were published; the special edition including this illustration was published in 1850. This print is bound with five others at the back of a rebound book. The cover is of the earlier Rip Van Winkle edition published for the American Art Union but the title page and text are of Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.
This hand-colored print depicts an exterior scene of a man and woman pushing a baby carriage down a street. The man is smoking a long Meerschaum pipe and carries a walking stick. The baby sits on a keg of lager; the man has a keg strapped to his back, and a little boy trails behind drinking a mug of beer and carrying a small keg over his shoulder. A small dog approaches a foaming mug of beer in the street behind the boy. In the left background a group of people rally around a lager banner. In the right background a man has fallen to the ground and raises an arm to a woman passerby.
This print was produced by the lithography firm of Kimmel and Forster. Christopher Kimmel was an engraver, lithographer, and printer active in New York City from 1850-1876. He was born in Germany around 1830. Kimmel became a member of the New York engraving firm of Capewell & Kimmel from 1853 to 1860 with British born Samuel Capewell, and then partnered with Thomas Forster in 1865, forming the lithography firm of Kimmel & Forster, which was active until 1871.
This colored print is an outdoor scene of a barefoot and forlorn-looking young man in tattered gentleman’s clothing sitting among some swine. Clearly, he has fallen from a privileged position in society. Also visible on this farm are a cow, a bull, a ram, and a sheep. A white church steeple can be seen in the background, a symbol of Christian morality.
The parable of the Prodigal Son or the Lost Son is among the best-known Christian morality tales and is found in Luke 15:11-32. The youngest of the two sons demands his share of his father’s estate which the father gives him. Shortly after, he runs off and squanders the wealth “in wild living”. Finding himself destitute, he returns to his father, repents his ways, and begs to be allowed to serve as a hired servant. The father rejoices at the return of his son “who was lost and is found.” Meanwhile, the obedient, older son is angry and refuses to join the celebration. His father pleads with him to forgive and to understand his joy.
This print was produced by Henry R. Robinson, who was a caricaturist and lithographer in New York City. He was listed as a carver and gilder from 1833-34, as a caricaturist from 1836-43 and as a lithographer and print publisher from 1843-51. Henry Robinson was known for political prints that championed the causes of the Whig Party (which later merged with the Republican Party) and satirized the opposing Democratic Party. Historian Peter C. Welsh has called Henry Robinson the "Printmaker to the Whig Party."
This full-length, hand-colored print depicts a young man wearing a badge on a ribbon around his neck that hangs to his waist. He is holding a scroll with a pledge of temperance. The pledge reads, "No brother shall make, buy, sell or use as a beverage any spirituous or malt, liquors, wine, or cider." There is heavy red drapery with a tassel hanging behind him.
This print was produced by James S. Baillie, who was active in New York from 1838 to 1855. James Baillie started as a framer in 1838, and then became an artist and lithographer in 1843 or 1844. He discovered how to color lithographs while working as an independent contractor for Currier & Ives in the mid1840s. He was a prolific lithographer and colorist for Currier & Ives, and his prints were extremely popular with a wide distribution. James Baillie spent his later years concentrating on painting instead of lithography.
This black and white print is an oval bust portrait of Emma Abbott, depicted with pale skin and long dark hair pulled back from her face and styled into ringlets. Her bodice has a high collar but is opens in the front and trimmed with lace. Her signature is below the portrait in a decorative plaque and serves as its title.
Emma Abbott (1850-1891) was an American opera soprano whose popular appeal earned her the title "the People's Prima Donna." Born in Chicago, Illinois, she began studying music at an early age and made her debut as a singer and guitar player in Peoria, Illinois in 1859. Emma Abbott toured the Midwest professionally as a teenager and then moved to New York City, where she sang in the choir of the Universalist Church of the Divine Paternity. The congregation included wealthy members like P.T. Barnum, Horace Greeley and the Carnegies, and when Abbott left to study music in Europe, the church helped fund her efforts. She spent time in Milan and Paris before joining London's Royal Opera. She made her debut at Covent Garden in 1876. Her contract was canceled, however, when she refused to appear as the courtesan Violetta in Verdi’s La Traviata, claiming the character was immoral.
After returning to the New York stage, she and her husband Eugene Wetherell established the Abbott English Opera Company in 1878, which was said to be among the earliest American opera companies founded by a woman. Among the notable roles she sang with the company was Juliette in Gounod’s Romeo et Juliette. Her company became known for charging low ticket prices, performing operas in English translation with abridged musical pieces, and introducing songs from hymns and other sources. She also made use of modern marketing techniques. Although attacked by critics for taking a lowbrow approach, Emma Abbott has been credited with helping expand the middle-class audience for opera. She continued to sing professionally until her death from pneumonia at the age of forty.
This lithograph was produced by the Graphic Company and John Gast (1842-1896). He was a painter, photomechanical printer, and lithographer who was born in Berlin, Germany, but spent much of his life in Brooklyn, New York. Gast was a pioneer in the use of three-color engraving and zinc etching. He was instrumental in establishing several businesses including the Gast Banknote and Lithograph Company (St. Louis); The New York Daily Graphic newspaper; Gast and Company Lithographers (Brooklyn); and the Photochrome Company. He became especially well known for his 1872 painting "American Progress," which depicts a white-robed woman carrying a book and telegraph wire, moving from the light skies of the East towards the dark and threatening clouds of the West. Pioneers, stagecoaches, covered wagons, and railroad cars accompany the woman, while Native Americans and buffalo run ahead of the newcomers. Widely circulated as a color lithograph, the painting has been described as an allegory for American Manifest Destiny and westward expansion.
Colored print of a little boy in a sailor suit and wide-brimmed hat, carrying a large net in one hand and a ring with fresh fish in the other, standing on a dock. A dog at his feet leaps toward him. A sailing ship, the "Columbia," flying an American flag is in left background. A bucket of fish is in left foreground.
Black and white print after an etching. Illustration from the Legend of Sleepy Hollow showing Ichabod Crane courting Katrina Van Tassel under a large tree.
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, a short story by celebrated American author Washington Irving, was first published in 1820 without illustrations in “The Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent.” Best known for his popular stories of Rip Van Winkle and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Irving achieved acclaim in Europe and the U.S. over the course of his successful writing career. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow was included in “The Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent” while Irving was living in Europe. Thus, he was one of the earliest American authors to survive merely on his writing. Irving’s stories have remained an emblem of American culture as they were some of the first short stories that aimed to entertain rather than educate. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow story inspired artists to create beautiful illustrations like the one included in this print.
The gothic story The Legend of Sleepy Hollow tells of a man named Ichabod Crane who comes to Tarrytown, New York, known in the story as Sleepy Hollow, as a teacher. As he tries to win the heart of the beautiful Katrina Van Tassel, he ultimately finds himself being chased by the village’s feared legend, the Headless Horsemen. The story ends with a smashed pumpkin being found in the place where Ichabon disappeared, never to be seen again. This story is particularly popular around Halloween.
This print, which was engraved in 1848, shows Ichabod Crane leaning against a great elm tree as he croons over Katrina Van Tassel. She is the 18-year-old young woman he is trying to court throughout the story. Katrina sits in front of Ichabod as she faces downwards, seeming to pay little attention to him. The print is set against a mountainous countryside backdrop with a body of water in the background as well as another woman who notices the couple.
Sarony, Major, & Knapp was one of the largest lithographic firms at the end of the 19th and the early of the 20th centuries. However, before it achieved this success it started out small in 1843 when Napoleon Sarony and James P. Major joined together to start a business. Later in 1857, Joseph F. Knapp joined the company making it Sarony, Major, & Knapp. At the time that this was printed, Knapp was not a part of the business, so it was just Sarony & Major.
Felix O. C. Darley (1822-1888), the artist behind the twelve best-known illustrations for The Legend of the Sleepy Hollow, is considered one of America’s best illustrators. The publisher was the American Art Union, (1839-1857) a subscription organization created to educate the public about American art and artists while providing support for American artists. For $5.00 members would receive admissions to the gallery showing, a yearly report, and an engraving of an original work, as well as any benefits each chapter might provide. Two special editions of the story, each with a set of six of Darley’s illustrations were published; the special edition including this illustration was published in 1850. This print has been rebound with the five others at the back of the book and the cover is incorrectly from the earlier Rip Van Winkle edition published for the American Art Union, however the title page and text are of Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.
Black and white print after an etching. Illustration from the Legend of Sleepy Hollow showing Ichabod Crane dancing with Katrina Van Tassel at a party under the eaves of the Van Tassel home.
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, a short story by celebrated American author Washington Irving, was first published in 1820 without illustrations in “The Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent.” Best known for his popular stories of Rip Van Winkle and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Irving achieved acclaim in Europe and the U.S. over the course of his successful writing career. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow was included in “The Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent” while Irving was living in Europe. Thus, he was one of the earliest American authors to survive merely on his writing. Irving’s stories have remained an emblem of American culture as they were some of the first short stories that aimed to entertain rather than educate. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow story inspired artists to create beautiful illustrations like the one included in this print.
The gothic story The Legend of Sleepy Hollow tells of a man named Ichabod Crane who comes to Tarrytown, New York, known in the story as Sleepy Hollow, as a teacher. As he tries to win the heart of the beautiful Katrina Van Tassel, he ultimately finds himself being chased by the village’s feared legend, the Headless Horsemen. The story ends with a smashed pumpkin being found in the place where Ichabon disappeared, never to be seen again. This story is particularly popular around Halloween.
In this illustration Katrina Van Tassel is responding more positively to Ichabod’s affections as she dances with him and raises her eyes to the viewer. The setting is a party at the Van Tassel’s home, for which Ichabod was excited to receive an invitation. The background shows a crowd of people, some drunk, sleeping, dancing etc. But Brom Bones sits in the corner of the room all alone, evidently upset and jealous over Katrina’s relationship with Ichabod.
Sarony, Major, & Knapp was one of the largest lithographic firms at the end of the 19th and the early of the 20th centuries. However, before it achieved this success it started out small in 1843 when Napoleon Sarony and James P. Major joined together to start a business. Later in 1857, Joseph F. Knapp joined the company making it Sarony, Major, & Knapp. At the time that this was printed, Knapp was not a part of the business, so it was just Sarony & Major.
Felix O. C. Darley (1822-1888), the artist behind the twelve best-known illustrations for The Legend of the Sleepy Hollow, is considered one of America’s best illustrators. The publisher was the American Art Union, (1839-1857) a subscription organization created to educate the public about American art and artists while providing support for American artists. For $5.00 members would receive admissions to the gallery showing, a yearly report, and an engraving of an original work, as well as any benefits each chapter might provide. Two special editions of the story, each with a set of six of Darley’s illustrations were published; the special edition including this illustration was published in 1850. This print has been rebound with the five others at the back of the book and the cover is incorrectly from the earlier Rip Van Winkle edition published for the American Art Union, however the title page and text are of Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.
This print is bound with 5 others at the back of a rebound book. The cover is of the earlier Rip Van Winkle edition published for the American Art Union but the title page and text are of Washington Irving's Legends of Sleepy Hollow.
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, a short story by celebrated American author Washington Irving, was first published in 1820 without illustrations in “The Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent.” Best known for his popular stories of Rip Van Winkle and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Irving achieved acclaim in Europe and the U.S. over the course of his successful writing career. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow was included in “The Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent” while Irving was living in Europe. Thus, he was one of the earliest American authors to survive merely on his writing. Irving’s stories have remained an emblem of American culture as they were some of the first short stories that aimed to entertain rather than educate. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow story inspired artists to create beautiful illustrations like the one included in this print.
The gothic story The Legend of Sleepy Hollow tells of a man named Ichabod Crane who comes to Tarrytown, New York, known in the story as Sleepy Hollow, as a teacher. As he tries to win the heart of the beautiful Katrina Van Tassel, he ultimately finds himself being chased by the village’s feared legend, the Headless Horsemen. The story ends with a smashed pumpkin being found in the place where Ichabon disappeared, never to be seen again. This story is particularly popular around Halloween.
This print illustrates Ichabod in the home of one of the mothers of his students. According to the story, he would stay in different family’s homes for about a week at a time, helping out with chores and the like as a sort of exchange for lodging. In this print Ichabod is rocking one of the children softly to sleep in a humble rural home. The image includes three children, a man and a woman, and a baby in addition to Ichabod Crane.
Sarony, Major, & Knapp was one of the largest lithographic firms at the end of the 19th and the early of the 20th centuries. However, before it achieved this success it started out small in 1843 when Napoleon Sarony and James P. Major joined together to start a business. Later in 1857, Joseph F. Knapp joined the company making it Sarony, Major, & Knapp. At the time that this was printed, Knapp was not a part of the business, so it was just Sarony & Major.
Felix O. C. Darley (1822-1888), the artist behind the twelve best-known illustrations for The Legend of the Sleepy Hollow, is considered one of America’s best illustrators. The publisher was the American Art Union, (1839-1857) a subscription organization created to educate the public about American art and artists while providing support for American artists. For $5.00 members would receive admissions to the gallery showing, a yearly report, and an engraving of an original work, as well as any benefits each chapter might provide. Two special editions of the story, each with a set of six of Darley’s illustrations were published; the special edition including this illustration was published in 1850. This print has been rebound with the five others at the back of the book and the cover is incorrectly from the earlier Rip Van Winkle edition published for the American Art Union, however the title page and text are of Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.
Rip Van Winkle, a short story by celebrated American author Washington Irving, was first published in 1819 without illustrations in “The Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent.” Best known for his popular stories of Rip Van Winkle and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Irving achieved acclaim in Europe and the U.S. over the course of his successful writing career. Rip Van Winkle was included in “The Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent” while Irving was living in Europe. Thus, he was one of the earliest American authors to survive merely on his writing. Irving’s stories have remained an emblem of American culture as they were some of the first short stories that aimed to entertain rather than educate. The two best known Irving stories- Rip Van Winkle and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow have inspired artists to create beautiful illustrations like the one included in this print.
The gothic story Rip Van Winkle tells of an ordinary 19th century man who lives in the Dutch Kaatskills (currently the Catskills of New York). He struggles with his nagging wife, Dame Van Winkle, and in an effort to escape her on an especially bad day, he flees to the woods with his dog and his gun. While in the woods, he meets a stranger who is a representation of the spirits of Hendrick Hudson, and is instructed to serve these spirits a precious drink. Tempted, he tries the drink as well and ultimately becomes so drunk that he falls into a deep sleep. When he wakes, he thinks that it is merely the next morning, but it becomes clear that 20 years have passed. He is now an old widow with Loyalist sentiments that show he is living in the past, prior to the American Revolution. The story ends with Rip Van Winkle living a peaceful life in the home of his daughter, finally free from his wife’s nagging.
In this print, Rip Van Winkle has awakened from his deep slumber dazed, confused, and looking twenty years older. He treks through his old village with his long gray beard and shaggy clothes, ultimately making it to his house, which he sees is abandoned and aged. He notices a black dog that looks much like Wolf, but the dog snarls at him causing him to become sad at the thought of even his own dog forgetting about him. In the background of the print, one can see the Kaatskill Mountains, where Rip’s life was forever changed.
Sarony, Major, & Knapp was one of the largest lithographic firms at the end of the 19th and the early of the 20th centuries. However, before it achieved this success it started out small in 1843 when Napoleon Sarony and James P. Major joined together to start a business. Later in 1857, Joseph F. Knapp joined the company making it Sarony, Major, & Knapp. At the time that this was printed, Knapp was not a part of the business, so it was just Sarony & Major.
Felix O. C. Darley (1822-1888), the artist behind the twelve best-known illustrations for The Legend of the Sleepy Hollow, is considered one of America’s best illustrators. The publisher was the American Art Union, (1839-1857) a subscription organization created to educate the public about American art and artists while providing support for American artists. For $5.00 members would receive admissions to the gallery showing, a yearly report, and an engraving of an original work, as well as any benefits each chapter might provide. Two special editions of the story, each with a set of six of Darley’s illustrations were published; the special edition including this illustration was published in 1850. This print is bound with five others at the back of a rebound book. The cover is of the earlier Rip Van Winkle edition published for the American Art Union but the title page and text are of Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.
Black and white print after an etching. Illustration from the Legend of Sleepy Hollow showing Ichabod Crane on horseback encountering the "Headless Horseman" on a wooded, hilly, country road.
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, a short story by celebrated American author Washington Irving, was first published in 1820 without illustrations in “The Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent.” Best known for his popular stories of Rip Van Winkle and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Irving achieved acclaim in Europe and the U.S. over the course of his successful writing career. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow was included in “The Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent” while Irving was living in Europe. Thus, he was one of the earliest American authors to survive merely on his writing. Irving’s stories have remained an emblem of American culture as they were some of the first short stories that aimed to entertain rather than educate. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow story inspired artists to create beautiful illustrations like the one included in this print.
The gothic story The Legend of Sleepy Hollow tells of a man named Ichabod Crane who comes to Tarrytown, New York, known in the story as Sleepy Hollow, as a teacher. As he tries to win the heart of the beautiful Katrina Van Tassel, he ultimately finds himself being chased by the village’s feared legend, the Headless Horsemen. The story ends with a smashed pumpkin being found in the place where Ichabon disappeared, never to be seen again. This story is particularly popular around Halloween.
In the illustration Ichabod finally comes into contact with the Headless Horseman, who rides a black horse and wears a black cloak concealing his head and face. The Horseman is holding an orange round pumpkin in front of him, which Ichabon perceives as the man’s head. Ichabod rides a white horse whose expression matches his own in terms of terror and surprise. At this point in the story, Ichabod was on his way home following the party at the Van Tassel’s. The two men and their horse’s are frozen in place, caught off guard by one another.
Sarony, Major, & Knapp was one of the largest lithographic firms at the end of the 19th and the early of the 20th centuries. However, before it achieved this success it started out small in 1843 when Napoleon Sarony and James P. Major joined together to start a business. Later in 1857, Joseph F. Knapp joined the company making it Sarony, Major, & Knapp. At the time that this was printed, Knapp was not a part of the business, so it was just Sarony & Major.
Felix O. C. Darley (1822-1888), the artist behind the twelve best-known illustrations for The Legend of the Sleepy Hollow, is considered one of America’s best illustrators. The publisher was the American Art Union, (1839-1857) a subscription organization created to educate the public about American art and artists while providing support for American artists. For $5.00 members would receive admissions to the gallery showing, a yearly report, and an engraving of an original work, as well as any benefits each chapter might provide. Two special editions of the story, each with a set of six of Darley’s illustrations were published; the special edition including this illustration was published in 1850. This print has been rebound with the five others at the back of the book and the cover is incorrectly from the earlier Rip Van Winkle edition published for the American Art Union, however the title page and text are of Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.
Sentimental genre prints documented the social image of Victorian virtue through domestic scenes of courtship, family, home life, and images of the “genteel female.” Children are depicted studying nature or caring for their obedient pets as they learn their place in the greater world. Romantic scenes picture devoted husbands with their contented, dutiful wives. In these prints, young women educated in reading, music, needlework, the arts, the language of flowers, basic math and science are subjugated to their family’s needs.
These prints became popular as lithography was introduced to 19th Century Americans. As a new art form, it was affordable for the masses and provided a means to share visual information by crossing the barriers of race, class and language. Sentimental prints encouraged the artistic endeavors of schoolgirls and promoted the ambitions of amateur artists, while serving as both moral instruction and home or business decoration. They are a pictorial record of our romanticized past.
This three-quarter length colored portrait print is of a young woman standing at a railing. The girl is looking back over her right shoulder. She is wearing a large hat with feathers and dress with large billowing sleeves. To her left there is heavy drapery with a tassel.
This lithograph was done by Anthony Imbert, a lithographer and marine painter based in New York. He was active as an artist from 1825 until his death in around 1838. He was born in France and became a French naval officer. He learned to paint after he was imprisoned by the British. When he was released, he came to the United States and developed a career as a lithographer and marine painter. He pioneered many new forms of lithography including a folding lithograph by joining two stories to create a larger print. The artist Dominico Canova was born in Milan, Italy. He immigrated to New York City in 1825, where he began his work as a lithographer under Anthony Imbert. He was primarily known in Louisiana as a teacher of painting and drawing, a muralist and painter. After a few years working under Anthony Imbert he accepted a teaching position in Convent Louisiana, at the College of Jefferson. Throughout the rest of his career, he held various teaching positions at different colleges and schools throughout Louisiana. He died in New Orleans in 1868.