Currier & Ives' America: From a Young Nation to a Great Power

New
Illustrated
2016
$27.66

In the 1800s--long before the days of photojournalism and cable news--vibrant, contemporary depictions of news events, portraits of prominent political and social figures, and scenic views of the American wilderness were circulated throughout the growing nation. From the beginning of the exciting century that saw a small nation expand into a mighty world power, the famous lithographic firm of Nathaniel Currier and James Merritt Ives produced over 7,000 prints, capturing scenes of American life in vivid detail. Currier & Ives prints were each colored individually, by hand, and collectors have prized their skilled craftsmanship and keen sense of composition for generations. This timeless collection, complete with more than three hundred illustrations in full color and a masterful text by historian Walton Rawls, captures a beloved piece of Americana. With festive holiday scenes, watershed historical moments, and idyllic depictions of the American countryside, this book will hold perennial appeal for lovers of history, art, and a classic take on the American experience.

Synopsis

In the 1800s--long before the days of photojournalism and cable news--vibrant, contemporary depictions of news events, portraits of prominent political and social figures, and scenic views of the American wilderness were circulated throughout the growing nation. From the beginning of the exciting century that saw a small nation expand into a mighty world power, the famous lithographic firm of Nathaniel Currier and James Merritt Ives produced over 7,000 prints, capturing scenes of American life in vivid detail. Currier & Ives prints were each colored individually, by hand, and collectors have prized their skilled craftsmanship and keen sense of composition for generations. This timeless collection, complete with more than three hundred illustrations in full color and a masterful text by historian Walton Rawls, captures a beloved piece of Americana. With festive holiday scenes, watershed historical moments, and idyllic depictions of the American countryside, this book will hold perennial appeal for lovers of history, art, and a classic take on the American experience.

$27.66

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More Information

Format: Illustrated
Pages: 488
Edition: Illustrated
Publisher: Abbeville Press
Published: 10 Mar 2016
ISBN 10: 0789212587
ISBN 13: 9780789212580

Media Reviews

... a bountiful, beautiful offering of Americana... Walton Rawls ... has carried both the pictorial richness and the larger significance of Currier & Ives' work to a definitive presentation. --The New York Times Book Review ... impossible to put down. Author Rawls' text is a lively history of these remarkable illustrators. --Time Realism of a more popular sort is lavishly presented... Many books have been devoted to these artists, but none so exhaustive. --Newsweek Charming, nostalgic, sentimental, and warm. --St. Louise Post-Dispatch The most complete, most attractive book about Currier & Ives ever published...--a welcome acquisition for anyone who is interested in art, Americana, or a historical perspective of how Americans have perceived themselves and their nation. --Architectural Digest This splendidly illustrated volume makes a notable contribution to the understanding of American culture. The Currier & Ives prints fixed the visual image of the United States on the minds of its people in the nineteenth century. The same prints today retain their intrinsic interest for what they reveal about the American past. We have no more handsome introduction to that society and its culture than this volume. --Professor Oscar Handlin, Director Harvard University Library The ultimate word and image on the popular lithographers, with over 300 huge illustrations in eye-smashing color. --Christopher Lehmann-Haupt, The New York Times ... this truly magnificent book... a monumental work. And it is a work of genuine worth. --The New Yorker

Author Bio

Walton Rawls is the author of several books in the field of American popular culture, most notably Abbeville s The Great Book of Currier & Ives America and Wake Up, America!: World War I and the American Poster. Trained at Harvard in American history and literature, Rawls was a contributor to the Oxford Companion to American Military History and is a member of Atlanta s Civil War Round Table.
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