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Nathaniel Currier Lithograph "May Morning" American Country Life Series C. 1855

Creator: Currier and Ives
Offered by: Clive Devenish Antiques

Description
This lithograph portrays a pleasant scene of a man in a top hat atop a handsome dark horse, with a boy riding a white horse (presumably father and son) in front of a country estate, while women gather as they water flowers, and children play with a lamb in the foreground. A man plows a field; while a horse is being groomed near the stable in the background. Afar and to the right is the sea dotted with ships here and there. The folio is mounted on cardboard and set in the matte.

It is in very good all original condition; and housed and professionally mounted in a fine quality and attractive bird's eye maple wooden frame with preservation backing and frontal protective glass (important when dealing with 170 year old lithographs); it is the rare and desirable Currier large folio sheet example in fine original color. There is some toning and slight fading,

The larger folios are more rare because they appealed to the wealthier sector of the population and were more expensive, thus fewer were made, albeit, knowing their more discerning customer base, there was more attention given to detail; hand coloring, and quality for example. This example has been framed and housed in museum quality conservation backing for over 80 years. I have had it professionally taken apart and I inspected the folio visually, and examined it with a black light and loop; as a result, I guarantee and can attest to the accuracy of my description of the lithograph. I then had the folio professionally remounted in their original frame with an upgraded preservation backing (see images of original folios out of frame and for confirmation of inspection). This lithograph has no tears, no touch up paint, and no glued or taped repairs.

This is one of the four iconic and highly desirable set of lithographs made by Nathaniel Currier (1813-1888) dated 1855 from the American Country Life series. They are named;
Spring "May Morning";
Summer "Summer Evening";
Fall ""October Afternoon"; and
Winter "Pleasures of Winter".

The lithograph was produced from the painting of well known artist Frances (Fanny) Flora (Bond Palmer (1812-1876). She painted typical American scenes of daily American life that were used by Currier for years to come. She was an accomplished artist by the time she migrated to the United States from England, and Currier commissioned her to do the country scenes for this series. Each of the original images are toned lithographs with applied hand painted watercolor.

The lithograph reflects an affluent life style, showcasing grandiose homes and glamorizing the rural way of living as urban areas became more densely populated with the tidal wave and arrival of immigrants. Nathaniel Currier began his lithograph business in 1835 with hand colored images portraying outdoor panoramic, historical, pastoral, and landmark scenes and events, with which the middle class and the wealthy sought to decorate their houses. James Ives (1824-1895) was his accountant) and would join him later in 1857 to help run the business.

The hand painted lithograph is embellished with script text in the bottom margin of the folio "Entered according to art of congress in the year 1855 by N. Currier in the clerk's office of the southern district of N.Y."
"F.F Palmer Del"--------------------------------------------- "Lith By N. Currier"
An example of this lithograph appear in the Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Fort Worth Texas, having been donated by Carter in 1970

Provenance: Recently acquired from a prominent San Francisco Estate

"May Morning" is referenced and illustrated in "Currier and Ives" by Colin Simkin Published 1952 (pages 37,38,39,40)

"The Great Book of Currier & Ives' America" by Walton Rawls memorializes "May Morning" page 137; October Afternoon" page 253; "Summer's Evening" page 184. All examples from the famous Harry Peters Collection.

In addition to the Amon Carter Museum in Dallas an example of "May Morning" is on display at The Hunter Museum in Chatanooga Tennessee (Gift of Caron and Alan Lacy)
Also, Museum of Fine Arts Boston (Donated by Lee M. Friedman)
and Springfield Museum, Massachusetts

Dimensions: actual= 16 1/2" h x 23 13/16" w
matte= 19 1/2" h x 25 1/4" w
folio= 21 7/16" h x 27 3/4" w
with frame= 26 1/4" h x 32 1/4" w
frame= 1 1/4" burl bird's eye maple
Note:
Additional information on these lithographs and more on Currier and Ives' can be found in:
"Mr. Currier & Ives' by Russel Crouse published 1930
and
'"Currier & Ive's The Harry Peters Collection" published 1942
and
"The World of Currier and Ives' by King/Davis published 1972

Please view the other three lithographs I have listed for sale. They are mounted in matching wood bird's eye maple frames and are identical in size.

More Information

Documentation:	Documented elsewhere (similar item)
Origin:	United States
Period:	19th Century
Materials:	Paper
Condition:	Good. Wear consistent with age and use.
Styles / Movements:	Victorian
Incollect Reference #:	775072

Dimensions

W.	32.25 in;	H.	26.25 in;	D.	1.5 in;
W.	81.92 cm;	H.	66.68 cm;	D.	3.81 cm;

Message from Seller:

Clive Devenish Antiques has been specializing in antique mechanical banks, toys, decorative arts, and 18th and 19th century furniture for over 40 years. For more information, contact 510.414.4545 or email clivedevenishantiques@comcast.net.