CLS: New England — America According to Currier & Ives

Currier and Ives produced some of the most famous and memorable images of 19th-century America. Their lithographs were among the first “cheap” pictures available to the burgeoning middle class in the United States. Currier and Ives sold millions of prints during its 72-year existence. How accurate a reflection were these images of the U.S. at the time?   

In this talk, the work and legacy of the “printmakers to the American people” will be explored by examining lithographs spanning the firm’s years of operation (1835-1907). Learn how Currier and Ives and their scores of artists created an idealized vision of the young nation for an expanding, industrializing populace — one that highlighted prosperity and progress, but also utilized controversial and racist depictions of minorities, immigrants and Indigenous peoples to tell its stories.  

Joshua Dubbert serves as Historian at the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library & Museums. His research focuses on Victorian America, particularly its culture, art, architecture and the era’s presidents. He enjoys giving public programs and tours of the Hayes Home, sharing the fascinating history of Hayes’ presidency and family with the public.