Title: Old Blandford Church. : Petersburgh Virginia.
Lithograph handcolored, undated.
Initialed in a fallen grave stone F.F.P for Fanny F. Palmer.
Published by Currier & Ives 152 Nassau St. New York.
Small folio - image size 8 x 12 7/16" (20.3 x 31.6 cm).
Currier & Ives Prints. An Illustrated Checklist. By Frederick Conningham #4549.

Currier & Ives publisher (1834-1907). Nathaniel Currier (1813-1888); James Merritt Ives (1824-1895). Nathaniel Currier was trained by the Pendleton's in Boston and followed John Pendleton to Philadelphia, then New York opening lithographic shops. In 1834 Nathaniel Currier and a gentleman named Stodart purchased Pendleton's New York operation. Stodart was not long for business and his name only appears on a few very early lithographs.

James Merritt Ives joined N. Currier lithographer as a bookkeeper in 1852. Ives knowledge of art, his ability to understand what the public wanted, and to communicate it to the many artists who worked at the firm made him an indispensable member of the firm. In 1857 he was made a full partner and the name was changed from N. Currier to Currier & Ives.

Many artists worked for Currier & Ives or produced images for the firm to publish. Fanny F. Palmer is the artist who had the most impact on the firm's total output, a talented lithographer and artist, but as a woman during the mid-nineteenth century she could not run her own business. Other artists that worked for the firm include Louis Maurer, Thomas Worth, John Cameron, Charles Parsons, Napoleon Sarony, and Otto Knirsch. Some would go on to run their own lithographic houses, others as independent artists.

The firm of Currier & Ives was the largest publisher of lithographic prints producing over 8,000 different titles over their 70+ years in business.

Condition: Fair condition and color, heavy overall toning, several small marginal tears not near color area, scattered foxing.