Nathaniel Currier (March 27, 1813 – November 20, 1888) was an American

lithographer Lithography () is a planographic method of printing originally based on the immiscibility of oil and water. The printing is from a stone (lithographic limestone) or a metal plate with a smooth surface. It was invented in 1796 by the German ...

. He headed the company Currier & Ives with James Ives.

Early life and education

Currier was born in

Roxbury, Massachusetts Roxbury () is a Neighborhoods in Boston, neighborhood in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Roxbury is a Municipal annexation in the United States, dissolved municipality and one of 23 official neighborhoods of Boston used by the city for ne ...

, to Nathaniel and Hannah Currier. He attended public school until age fifteen, when he was apprenticed to the

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

printing firm of William and John Pendleton.

Career

The Pendletons were the first successful lithographers in the United States, lithography having only recently been invented in Europe. Currier learned the process in their shop. In 1833, he subsequently went to work for M. E. D. Brown in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, in 1833. The following year, in 1834, Currier moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, where he intended to start a new business with John Pendleton but Pendleton backed out, and the new firm became Currier & Stodart and lasted only one year.

Currier & Ives

In 1835, Currier started his own lithographic business as an eponymous sole proprietorship, initially engaged in standard lithographic business of printing sheet music, letterheads, handbills, and other publishing-related products. However, he soon took his work in a new direction, creating pictures of current events. In late 1835, he issued a print illustrating a recent fire in New York City, ''Ruins of the Merchant's Exchange N.Y. after the Destructive Conflagration of Decbr 16 & 17, 1835'' was published by the ''New York Sun'', just four days after the fire, and was an early example of illustrated news. In 1840, Currier began to move away from job printing and into independent print publishing. In that year, ''The Sun'' published his print ''Awful Conflagration of the Steam Boat 'Lexington' in Long Island Sound on Monday Eveg Jany 13th 1840, by Which Melancholy Occurrence Over 100 Persons Perished'', another documentation of a news event, three days after the disaster; the print sold thousands of copies. In 1850, James Ives went to work for Currier's firm as bookkeeper. Ives' skills as a businessman and marketer contributed significantly to the growth of the company; in 1857 he was made a full partner, and the company became known as Currier & Ives. Currier & Ives are best known as creators of popular art prints, such as Christmas scenes, landscapes, or depictions of Victorian urban sophistication; however, the firm also produced

political cartoon A political cartoon, also known as an editorial cartoon, is a cartoon graphic with caricatures of public figures, expressing the artist's opinion. An artist who writes and draws such images is known as an editorial cartoonist. They typically co ...

s and

banner A banner can be a flag or another piece of cloth bearing a symbol, logo, slogan or another message. A flag whose design is the same as the shield in a coat of arms (but usually in a square or rectangular shape) is called a banner of arms. Also, ...

s, significant historical scenes, and further illustrations of current events. Over the decades, the firm created roughly 7,500 images. Currier retired from his firm in 1880, and turned the business over to his son Edward.

Personal life and death

Currier married Eliza West Farnsworth in 1840. The couple had one child, Edward West Currier, the next year. Eliza died in 1843. In 1847, Currier married Lura Ormsbee. In addition to being a lithographer, he was also a New York City volunteer fireman in the 1850s. He was a Unitarian. Currier was a friend of P.T. Barnum of Barnum and Bailey fame. Currier was fond of fast horses and kept several at a barn in his

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

residence, which he purchased, ordered dismantled, and had delivered by horse to his estate. Currier died eight years after retiring, on November 20, 1888, at his home on Lion's Mouth Road in

Amesbury, Massachusetts Amesbury is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, located on the left bank of the Merrimack River near its mouth, upstream from Salisbury and across the river from Newburyport and West Newbury. The population was 17,366 at the ...

and is interred at

Green-Wood Cemetery Green-Wood Cemetery is a cemetery in the western portion of Brooklyn, New York City. The cemetery is located between South Slope, Brooklyn, South Slope/Greenwood Heights, Brooklyn, Greenwood Heights, Park Slope, Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn, Win ...

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

Gallery

File:Ruins of the merchant's exchange N.Y.- after the destructive conflagration of Decbr. 16 & 17 1835 LCCN2001704218.jpg, ''Ruins of the Merchant's Exchange N.Y. after the Destructive Conflagration of Decbr 16 & 17, 1835'' File:Awful Conflagration of the Steam Boat Lexington in Long Island Sound on Monday Eve, January 13th, 1840, by which melancholy occurrence, over 100 Persons Perished MET DP853624.jpg, ''Awful Conflagration of the Steam Boat 'Lexington' in Long Island Sound on Monday Eveg Jany 13th 1840, by Which Melancholy Occurrence Over 100 Persons Perished'' File:The Drunkard's Progress - Color.jpg, ''

The Drunkard's Progress ''The Drunkard's Progress: From the First Glass to the Grave'' is an 1846 lithograph by Nathaniel Currier. It is a nine-step on a stone arch depicting a man's journey through alcoholism. Through a series of Vignette (literature), vignettes it ...

''. Lithograph. Version of the '' Lebenstreppe'' that supports the

temperance movement The temperance movement is a social movement promoting Temperance (virtue), temperance or total abstinence from consumption of alcoholic beverages. Participants in the movement typically criticize alcohol intoxication or promote teetotalism, and ...

, 1846 File:Military College of Chapultepec2.jpg, "Military College at Chapultepec", hand tinted lithograph published by Nathaniel Currier as a sole proprietor, c. 1847 File:Whig primary 1848c.jpg, "An Available Candidate: The One Qualification for a Whig President". Political cartoon about the 1848 presidential election which refers to

Zachary Taylor Zachary Taylor (November 24, 1784 – July 9, 1850) was an American military officer and politician who was the 12th president of the United States, serving from 1849 until his death in 1850. Taylor was a career officer in the United States ...

Winfield Scott Winfield Scott (June 13, 1786May 29, 1866) was an American military commander and political candidate. He served as Commanding General of the United States Army from 1841 to 1861, and was a veteran of the War of 1812, American Indian Wars, Mexica ...

, the two leading contenders for the Whig Party nomination in the aftermath of the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War (Spanish language, Spanish: ''guerra de Estados Unidos-México, guerra mexicano-estadounidense''), also known in the United States as the Mexican War, and in Mexico as the United States intervention in Mexico, ...

. Published 1848, digitally restored. Image:Charles R. Parsons, "Central-Park, Winter- The Skating Pond".jpg, Currier & Ives' ''Central-Park, Winter: The Skating Pond'', 1862 File:Battle of Williamsburg Currier & Ives.jpg, Civil War

Battle of Williamsburg The Battle of Williamsburg, also known as the Battle of Fort Magruder, took place on May 5, 1862, in York County, James City County, and Williamsburg, Virginia, as part of the Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War. It was the first pitc ...

, 1862 File:Currier and Ives Liberty2.jpg, The

Statue of Liberty The Statue of Liberty (''Liberty Enlightening the World''; ) is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, within New York City. The copper-clad statue, a gift to the United States from the people of French Thir ...

: ''The Great Bartholdi Statue, Liberty Enlightening the World: The Gift of France to the American People'', 1885

References

External links

The Currier & Ives Foundation

Green-Wood Cemetery Burial Search
{{DEFAULTSORT:Currier, Nathaniel 1813 births 1888 deaths Burials at Green-Wood Cemetery American Unitarians American lithographers People from Roxbury, Boston People from Amesbury, Massachusetts