The partnership of Nathaniel Currier and James Merritt Ives produced some of the most iconic and beloved images of American life in the 19th century.

Some of those images can be seen in Nantucket Square on the Islands of New England starting at 1 p..m.Sunday. The opening includes music provided by improv pianist Tipp Corbett. The prints on display can be found in first life in thecollection of the Fenimore Art Museum in Cooperstown, New York.

Currier, a lithographer, opened his business in New York in 1835 and made a name for himself by producing images of newsworthy people, places, and events.

In1857 he formed a partnership with his bookkeeper Ives, and they expanded their repertoire to include allaspects  of urban and rural  life. In their marketing efforts, Currier and Ives targeted the middle class, newly prosperous and eager to decorate their homes. The firm’s lithographs were cheaper than engravings and chromolithographs and larger and more colorful than photographs.

Currier and Ives produced  four to five prints a week for 50 years. The company dissolved in 1907 and soldits inventory items at auction at bargain prices. A resurgence of interest in these images of a bygone way of life makes Currier and Ives lithographs highly prized today.

Musical guest Corbett features classical piano improvisations."The art of improvising did not fare as well in classical as in popular and jazz musics in the last century," he says. "I am interested in helping to revive this lost art.

TrackBack URI for this entry

Comments (0)

Subscribe to this comment's feed