This colored print depicts a man, Reverend Ephraim Avery (1799-1869), being rowed across a river by demons. A young woman on the left bank is hanging by her neck from a fence with a note at her feet on a farm. On the right bank are two demons, a figure and a body in a cauldron. The scene is based on the murder in Bristol, Rhode Island of a pregnant Fall River mill girl, Sarah Maria Cornell (1802-1832), which was sensationalized in the press and resulted in a jury trial in Newport concluding with an unpopular acquittal of Avery, who was a Methodist Minister. Sarah Cornell was the daughter of Lucretia and James Cornell, but her father had abandoned the family when she was a baby, and the girl was a troubled teen, frequently in trouble for theft and “inappropriate” behavior. She worked in various mills, and became a Methodist while working in Slaterville, RI 1823-1826. While working in Lowell, Massachusetts she met Reverend Ephraim Avery, a married man. They allegedly were together at the Methodist Camp Meeting, August 1832. Cornell left several incriminating letters concerning Reverend Avery amongst her belongings, but after the autopsy confirmed her pregnancy, the original cause of death of suicide was abandoned in favor of a murder investigation. The trial resulted in very negative press for the Methodist Church, particularly after Avery was acquitted and Cornell’s body was forbidden burial in a Methodist cemetery due to her “promiscuity and fornication.” Her body was moved several times before a final burial at Oak Grove Cemetery, in Fall River, where Lizzie Borden, another high profile murder principal, is also buried.
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. New York state historian Peter C. Welsh has called Henry Robinson the "Printmaker to the Whig Party".
This hand-colored print commemorates the October 19, 1847, parade celebrating the placing of the cornerstone for New York City‘s Washington Monument on Hamilton Square (between Third and Fifth Avenues and Sixty-Sixth and Sixty-Ninth Streets). For lack of funds, the monument was never completed.
The print successfully illustrates the patriotism displayed by the nation during the Mexican War. It depicts a golden eagle perched atop the canopied wagon containing a bust of George Washington. Countless American flags wave above the procession of soldiers and civilians. This print was published in newspapers and was also probably used in fundraising brochures for the monument until the project was abandoned.
This print was produced by James S Baillie, 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 mid 1840’s. A prolific lithographer and colorist for Currier & Ives; his prints were extremely popular. In his later years Baillie concentrated on painting instead of lithography. The graphic artist was John L. Magee who was active 1844 to 1867 in New York City and did some for Currier. He was also a lithographer and moved to Philadelphia where he was active 1850 to 1870.
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 colored, comic print depicts a man and woman seated on a sofa. The woman wears a long full skirt, tight bodice, ruffles on sleeves and an amulet around neck. The woman is displaying a simpering expression toward the man and is either putting a ring on the man’s finger or taking it off. The man is wearing a tuxedo with shirt pin. A high silk hat rests on the sofa beside him. The pair is sitting on a sofa of ornate upholstery, drapery and patterned carpet. On the wall behind the couch is an ornately framed picture of Cupid, who appears to be shooting an arrow at the man, who is perched on the edge of the sofa and appears ready to leave.
Also known as H. Bucholaer, H. Bucholzer was a cartoonist who lived and worked in New York City. His work was published by James S. Baillie from 1843 – 1847.
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 mid 1840’s. A prolific lithographer and colorist for Currier & Ives, his prints were extremely popular with a wide distribution. J. Baillie spent his later years concentrating on painting instead of lithography.
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 colored print is an indoor scene of a young man seated on an ornate upholstered armchair with one foot resting on a side chair. The bachelor is dressed in a double breasted, plaid weskit, plaid pants, a large silk tie and fitted coat. He is smoking a cigar and has the newspaper "Spirit of the Times" resting in his lap. The headline reads "War/10,000/Recruits/for Mexic/Great/Foot Race/President's Message. The lithographer also promotes himself by including his own advertisement with a list of his retailer. It reads: "Cheap Prints/Cheapest in the World/at J. Baillie's/ New York and sond by/Sowle & Shaw/52 Cornhill/Boston/A.H. Stillwell/Providence/R.I./A.J. Loomis/9 Washington/St.... J. Bar.../ 39 Fourth St./ Philadelphia." Room furnishings include a pedestal table with a marble top, another table with a fringed tablecloth, a clock and candleabrum on the marble fireplace mantle. On the pedestal table there is a basket of fruit, wine bottle and glass, a container of cigars, a can of sardines and a knife. Patterned wallpaper, patterned carpet and heavy fringed drapery complete the scene. Prints depicting a bachelor in his quarters and titled Single were common during this period and were often part of a series the included Married.
This print was produced by James S Baillie, 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 mid 1840’s. A prolific lithographer and colorist for Currier & Ives; his prints were extremely popular with a wide distribution. J. Baillie spent his later years concentrating on painting instead of lithography.
This print was inscribed "presented by Henry Lyman Chamberlain to the only man in the Junior Class or '48 & 9 not engaged. Bath April 9, 1849" W. L. Gardner .
This colored print depicts a male from infancy to old age in decade-long spans. This was a popular and recurring theme of genteel society during the 19th Century. The figures are shown on ascending steps up to age 50 and then descending, with age 100 being the lowest to the right. Each image portrays a well-dressed youth or man in appropriate attire for his position in society (i.e., gentleman, soldier, elder). Verses beneath each figure associate a depicted animal with that stage of life. A small vignette of two people standing near a monument in a cemetery is in the center foreground.
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 mid 1840s. 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 colored print shows a female at different stages from infancy to old age. This was a popular and recurring theme of genteel society during the 19th Century. The figures are depicted in ascending steps to middle age and then descending, with old age being the lowest to the right. Each image portrays a well-dressed girl or woman in appropriate attire for her position in society (i.e., bride, mother, matron). There are verses beneath each figure and vignettes that symbolize various stages of life. A small vignette of two people standing beside a man digging three graves is in the center foreground.
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 mid 1840s. 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 hand-colored print depicts an interior scene of an unmarried man opening a large basket that contains two infants. The man wears a long coat, vest, high collar, bow tie and plaid trousers. An unopened letter lies on the floor near the basket. He has a look of dismay as he peers down on the unruly infants and realizes his responsibilities for the babies. A family of four looks on gleefully through a door in the background. Also in the background are a picture on the wall of a man on horseback, flowered wallpaper, and a patterned rug.
Thomas W. Strong, a wood engraver and lithographer who worked in New York City from 1842-1851 produced this print. After 1851 he was listed as a publisher. Strong's prints included commentaries on social and moral themes as well as cartoons and funny valentines.
Black and white print of the lavishly decorated “Gem Saloon,” known for containing the city's largest mirror. The top of the mirror features a large eagle. The “Gem Saloon” was located in a hotel on the corner of Broadway and Anthony (now Worth Street) in New York City. Mayor Fernando Wood and eleven male politicians and businessmen are depicted drinking and conversing along with two bartenders and a dog. The title refers to the debate that was raging over the regulation of alcohol and a temperance movement that was launched in 1850 by the mayor of Portland, Maine in 1850. The Maine state bill forbid all alcoholic purchases except for "medicinal, mechanical or manufacturing purposes", resulting in an increase of alcoholic “quackery” medicines. Several other cities and states followed Maine’s example in legislation. In New York liquor law was passed in 1854 but vetoed by Governor Horatio Seymour. Then in 1855, with a new administration, the "Maine Law" was passed in New York, though it was never strictly enforced.
Augustus Fay was an engraver, lithographer and illustrator born in New York in 1824. He was active as an engraver in New York City 1848-1860, and as a lithographer in Hoboken, New Jersey and in New York in the 1850s.
This colored print depicts a mission school at the American Baptist Missionary Union in Moulmein (now Mawlamyine), British Burma. This former colony became an independent republic in 1948. The ruling military leadership changed the British name for the country to Myanmar in 1988. The scene includes dormitories, teachers' residences, and classroom buildings. A variety of palm trees and shrubs are scattered about the grounds and along a central dirt path.
This print was created by Mrs. H.B. Mason(artist) and produced by Sarony & Major. Ellen Huntly Bullard Mason was the wife of the missionary clergyman Frances Mason (1799-1874). Mrs. Mason wrote and illustrated works about her missionary activities in Burma, including efforts aimed at Burmese women.
Napoleon Sarony (1821–1896) was born in Quebec and trained under several lithography firms, including Currier & Ives and H.R. Robinson. Sarony was also known for his successful experiments in early photography, and he eventually developed a cabinet-sized camera. In 1846, Sarony partnered with another former apprentice of Nathaniel Currier, Henry B. Major, and created Sarony & Major lithography firm. Joseph F. Knapp (1832-1891) joined the firm in 1857. Sarony, Major & Knapp earned a solid reputation for lithography, and the company was especially known for its fine art chromolithography. However, by the 1870s, the firm had shifted its focus to the more profitable area of advertising. It also expanded to become the conglomerate known as the American Lithographic Company, successfully producing calendars, advertising cards, and posters. In 1930 it was bought out by Consolidated Graphics.
This hand-colored allegorical print displays hopes for reconciliation through the federal program of Reconstruction. The nation and government are symbolized by an enormous canopy-like structure, upon which is emblazoned with a map of the United States. An eagle holding a crest and American flag sits atop the map. A frieze that encircles the structure’s dome displays depictions of the Senate, House of Representatives, Supreme Court, and Cabinet. Pillars representing each of the state governments support the dome. However, the pillars and bases symbolizing the Confederate states are in the process of being replaced, providing for the viewer a pictorial representation of the process of Reconstruction. Under the shelter of the canopy, the leaders of the Union and the Confederacy come to terms: Ulysses S. Grant shakes hands with Robert E. Lee and Horace Greeley embraces Jefferson Davis. At the bottom of the illustration, a black and white baby sleep under an eagle holding a banner reading, “All men are born free and equal.” In the lower left, intermixed gathering of black and white voters gather near two plaques labeled “Universal Suffrage.” In the lower right, white officials meet with Native American chiefs in a tent to discuss terms of “Indian Reconstruction.” Nearby, black and white children play together in the yard of a school marked as “Universal Education.” Above the landscape of the print, the faces of various American statesmen and historical figures look down from a cloud upon Reconstruction. Near the center of this array of profiles, John C. Calhoun and Daniel Webster feature prominently. In the center, a robed figure of Jesus wearing a crown of peace is accompanied by the words, “Do to others as you would have others do to you.” In the upper right corners float the female personifications of Liberty and Justice. Below the faces, two disembodied hands are clasped, followed by the words, “Union & Liberty Forever.” Although idealistic, many of the elements depicted in this print would not become realities during Reconstruction: universal suffrage and education for all races would not come into practice until the 20th century, westward expansion would result in continuing bloodshed and further mar U.S. - Native Americans relations, and the country would continue to face deep regional sectionalism throughout the 19th century.
The print was illustrated by John L. Giles, a New York artist and lithographer active between 1876 and 1882. It was printed by Francis Ratellier, a New York lithographer active from 1859 to 1869. The print was published by Horatio Bateman of New York. Three years after the creation of this print, Bateman published Reconstruction Illustrated and Explained: Biographies of 250 Distinguished National Men, which identified all of the people depicted in the work.
This hand colored print depicts a male from infancy to old age in decade-long spans. This was a popular and recurring theme of genteel society during the 19th Century. The figures are shown on ascending steps up to age 50 and then descending, with age 100 being the lowest to the right. Each image portrays a well-dressed youth or man in appropriate attire for his position in society (i.e., gentleman, soldier, elder). Verses beneath each figure associate a depicted animal with that stage of life. A small vignette of two people standing near a monument in a cemetery is in the center foreground. A flag waves at the top of the pyramid.
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 mid-1840s. 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 colored print is an outdoor scene of a young man in tattered clothing on his knee asking forgiveness from his father. The father is weeping tears of joy at his return. Behind them a small band plays while a dozen people dance in celebration. The setting is the courtyard of a grand white country mansion.
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 black and white print contains thirteen labeled, oval bust portraits of ten men and three women, which surround a larger, three-quarter length portrait of two young men. The seated man on the left depicts Harry Miner; the man standing on the right is vaudeville performer Pat Rooney. The words “Harry Miner Manager” are printed below the bust portraits. All except Miner were variety entertainers, who performed at Miner’s Bowery Theater and belonged to Pat Rooney's Combination, a traveling variety/vaudeville/burlesque troupe. At the bottom of the poster are remnants of a datebill indicating the location of the performance was the Opera House, though not enough remains to determine whether a specific location and date had been included.
Henry Clay “Harry” Miner (1842-1900) was the proprietor and manager of Miner’s Bowery Theater when Pat Rooney performed there beginning circa 1878. Miner was a Civil War pharmacist, policeman, volunteer fireman, and businessman. He partnered with Rooney in the late 1870's and 1880's but mostly concentrated on developing a chain of theaters. He also produced a theater publication and owned a lithography company that specialized in theater posters. His Miner's Bowery Theater was home to amateur night and introduced "The Hook", a cane used to yank unpopular acts off the stage. He also became a U.S. Congressman from New York 1895-1897.
Pat Rooney known as Sr, the elder, and Pat Rooney I (ca 1844-1892) was a performer/dancer/song writer. He was an Irish immigrant, who became a patriarch of a vaudeville family that included his five children: son Patrick Rooney, II (1880-1962), daughters Kate, Mattie (Matilda), Julia, Josie, and his grandson Patrick Rooney III (1909-1979). His wife, Josie Granger (1853-1934), is depicted on the print in the portrait below the vignette of Rooney and Miner. She was a dancer and mother to the dynasty of performers. Patrick Rooney, Sr. began his song and dance career in the New York Bowery. He approached Harry Miner, owner/manager of Miner’s Bowery Theater, convincing him to give him a chance to perform. He was so popular that he became Miner’s partner for several years. He later took his show on the road, performing in workman's clothes, doing clog dancing, and singing comic songs. His son Patrick Rooney, Jr. began performing in a brother-sister act at age ten and later joined with his wife, Marion Bent (1880-1940) to become one of America's most popular vaudeville teams. He was especially well-known for a song and clog dance called "The Daughter of Rosie O'Grady," which he performed with his hands in his pockets. Later in life he appeared in musical comedies and revues, including the original Broadway production of Guys and Dolls in 1950. His son Patrick Rooney III sometimes performed with him and also did solo acts.
Fannie Peake Delano (1850-1935) was born Annie May Sutter, adopted by the bell ringing family of William H. Peake, and married to Jeppe (Jephtha III) Delano (1845-1925). She was a singer and he was a character actor, both were comedians and variety performers.
Mollie Wilson was billed as a petite, lyrical, serio-comic star.
Billie Carter (1834-1912) was a banjo minstrel/ blackface performer. He was known as the "King of the Banjo Players," a member of the Louisiana Minstrels in the mid 1860's, and played at various times with Hooley's Minstrels, Harrigan and Hart, and Tony Pastor's Company
S.G. Beasley and William Wood were musicians who performed as "King Music Makers," each mastering numerous instruments.
Harry Morris and Frank Fields were billed as German Burlesque Comedians.
T. G. Ducrow and Joe C. Lamont performed as Happy Hottentots, Jungle Abborigines, and various comedic skits.
Lithographer Henry Atwell Thomas (1834-1904), an artist and portrait painter 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 twenty-nine small oval portraits of leaders of American Methodists and five vignettes. The vignettes are of John Wesley rescued from a burning building; Wesley preaching on the tombstone of his father; Old John Street Church, New York; Tremont Street Methodist Church, Boston; and Pioneer Preacher (the central vignette).
John Wesley (1703-1791) was the founding founder of the Methodist faith. One of England's greatest spiritual leaders, he played a major role in the revival of religion in 18th Century English and Scottish life. He graduated from Christ Church College, Oxford University, in 1720 and later became a fellow. While at Oxford, he became active in a religious club nicknamed the “methodists” by its critics because of their methodical study and devotion. Finding the Anglican bishops unsympathetic and unwilling to open their churches to him, Wesley began an itinerant ministry that lasted more than 50 years. Methodism had a significant impact on society. It brought religion to masses of people who, through the shifts of population brought about by the industrial revolution, were not being reached by the Anglican Church.
John Wesley, along with his brother Charles, first brought an evangelical brand of Anglicanism to colonial Georgia from 1735 to 1737. Years later, in February 1784, he chartered the first Methodist Church in the United States. Despite the fact that he was an Anglican, Wesley saw the need to provide church structure for his followers after the Anglican Church abandoned its American believers during the American Revolution. The Methodist church expanded rapidly across the American continent. The traditions of open-air services and circuit-riding preachers fit perfectly with the American frontier. By 1830, Methodists formed the largest denomination in the U.S.
This print was produced by the artist L. Hollis and lithographer John Chester Buttre. John Chester Buttre (1821-1893) was an American steel-plate engraver, lithographer and publisher. He was first studied drawing in his hometown of Auburn, New York, and moved to New York City in 1841. He produced thousands of engraved portraits of American political and military figures, which he published in a three-volume work entitled The American Portrait Gallery.
Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church
maker
Currier, Nathaniel
ID Number
DL.60.2929
catalog number
60.2929
accession number
228146
Description
This black and white print is of a life membership to a Mr. Philip J.A. Harper issued by the Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church. The Society, begun in 1820 and headquartered in New York City, was among the earliest organizations that focused on mission within and outside the United States. It initially worked to convert Native Americans and slaves before extending its activities to inhabitants of West Africa and elsewhere overseas.
A vignette depicting missionary activity appears above the text that was inspired by the Society’s proselytizing during the 19th Century. On the right side is a depiction of Native Americans and Africans who were “saved” due to the preaching of a missionary. The left side shows the damnation that comes to those who fail to hear God’s word. Above the scene floats a triumphant angel sent by God who is blowing a trumpet, Bible in hand.
This print was produced by Nathaniel Currier (1813-1888). Currier was the founder of the company that eventually became the Currier & Ives lithography firm. At the age of fifteen Currier apprenticed with the Pendleton lithography firm in New York City. Five years later he moved to Philadelphia to work with the lithographer M.E.D. Brown (1810-1896). After a year Currier moved back to New York, where he intended on going into business with one of the Pendleton brothers. Instead he formed a partnership in 1834 with Adam Stodart who was in the sheet music business. Within a year he opened his own lithography company on Wall Street and then moved to Nassau and Spruce. In 1852 a bookkeeper named James Merritt Ives joined the firm. He married Charles Currier’s sister-in-law and brought to the firm a critical eye and business acumen. In five years he had become a partner. Currier & Ives would become arguably the most successful and prodigious lithography firm of the 19th century. Although especially well known for prints celebrating American landscapes and pastimes like sailing and ice skating, Currier & Ives also produced lithographs that featured current events, social issues and political controversies
This colored print is an interior scene depicting a well-dressed young man walking away from a table with his hand over his eyes, apparently in disbelief and shame. Two women (of easy virtue) and three men remain at the table playing cards. A waiter or servant stands in a corner opening a bottle, while a fifth man is standing above the table with a glass in one hand and a bottle of wine or liquor in the other. Thus, the scene depicts all of the worldly vices that Victorian-era gentlemen were taught to shun: gambling, drinking, and engaging in riotous behavior.
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 colored print is an interior scene depicting an older man, seated in an armchair with his foot on a foot stool handing a bag of money to his son standing before him. The room is well-appointed with three framed paintings on the wall. The men are wearing tightly tailored coats and trousers as was the fashion of the era. A servant carries a trunk to a doorway outside of which a carriage awaits.
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."
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 lithograph from the artist’s 1848-1849 engraving, shows Ichabod Crane, the protagonist of Irving’s legend, as a schoolteacher sitting on a stool in the middle of the classroom. He is surrounded by his students as he sharpens a quill pen. The illustration coincides with the description in the story of Ichabod as a reasonable teacher, not too strict with his students. He rests calmly atop his stool as the children murmur their reading and lessons.
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 colored print depicts a large genealogical tree depicting the early history of the world, with a table showing the lineage of the Biblical patriarchs, from the creation of Adam to the Deluge. “Antediluvian” means “before the flood” and refers to the period before the Deluge as described in Genesis 6:11-9.19 of the Bible.
This print was produced by Endicott and Company, the successor to the New York firm of Geo. & Wm. Endicott Lithographers. George (1802-1848) and William Endicott (1816-1851) were born in Canton, Massachusetts. George Endicott began working as a lithographer in New York in 1828. He partnered with Moses Swett in the company Endicott & Swett from 1830 to 1834. William Endicott joined the company in 1841. Following George Endicott's death in 1848, the firm continued operating as William Endicott & Co. Francis Endicott (born ca. 1834) worked at the company from 1852 to 1886, and George Endicott, Jr. ran the firm from 1887 to 1891.
Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church
maker
Major & Knapp Engraving, Manufacturing & Lithographic Company
ID Number
DL.60.2925
catalog number
60.2925
accession number
228146
Description
This black and white print is of a life membership certificate issued to a Miss Emely Chamberlain by the Black River Conference, an Auxiliary to the Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church. The Black River Conference was organized in Watertown, N. Y. in September 1836, by Bishop Beverly Waugh and later incorporated in 1841. The Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church, begun in 1820 and headquartered in New York City, was among the earliest organizations that focused on mission within and outside the United States. Miss Emely Chamberlain could be one of several individuals living in New York with the name of Emely Chamberlin or Chamberlain during this period. The certificate indicates a monetary charge for the membership.
There are three vignettes depicting religious scenes: a large one at the top and two smaller ones in the lower corners. The top of the print proclaims, “Come Over Into Macedonia And Help Us,” while below it appears a figure of Christ motioning to two reclining followers. The scene in the lower left corner appears to represent worshippers from the Old Testament, while the images in the lower right corner portray a figure of Christ preaching to the multitudes.
The region of Macedonia was ruled by the Ottoman Empire from the 14th to the early 20th Centuries. In the latter half of the 19th century, Greece and the neighboring Balkan countries all claimed rights in Ottoman Macedonia on historical, linguistic, and religious grounds. Thus, they all attempted to show the strength of their respective ethnic groups in this geographically ill-defined area. The steady decline of the Ottoman Empire encouraged the Christian population and its supporters in other countries to press their claims. This print was produced by Major & Knapp Engraving, Manufacturing & Lithographic Company. The firm was founded by Napoleon Sarony (1821–1896), who was born in Quebec and trained under several lithography firms, including Currier & Ives and H.R. Robinson. Sarony was also known for his successful experiments in early photography, and he eventually developed a cabinet-sized camera. In 1846, Sarony partnered with another former apprentice of Nathaniel Currier, Henry B. Major, and created Sarony & Major lithography firm. Joseph F. Knapp (1832-1891) joined the firm in 1857. Sarony, Major & Knapp earned a solid reputation for lithography, and the company was especially known for its fine art chromolithography. Sarony left the firm by 1867 and by the 1870s, the firm shifted had focus to the more profitable area of advertising. It also expanded to become the conglomerate known as the American Lithographic Company, successfully producing calendars, advertising cards, and posters. In 1930 it was bought out by Consolidated Graphics.