Anthony Imbert Paintings

Anthony Imbert was a French-born American lithographer and publisher, active during the early 19th century. He was born in either 1794 or 1795, although precise details about his early life and education are not well-documented. Imbert is known to have immigrated to the United States in the early 1820s, a time when the art of lithography was still relatively new in America.

Lithography, invented at the end of the 18th century by Alois Senefelder in Germany, was a revolutionary printmaking technique that allowed for the mass production of images. Imbert established himself in New York City, which was developing into a bustling urban center and a fertile ground for the arts and publishing. By 1825, he had opened his own lithography studio, Imbert's Lithography, at 23 Wall Street, where he produced a variety of works including portraits, caricatures, landscapes, and illustrations for books and sheet music.

One of Imbert's significant contributions was his work on 'Life in Philadelphia,' a series of caricatures that depicted social and racial stereotypes of the time. Although these prints are now viewed critically for their reinforcement of racial prejudices, they were a reflection of the societal attitudes of the era and are valuable for the study of American cultural history.

Imbert also collaborated with other artists and took on apprentices, one of whom was Nathaniel Currier, who would later become famous as part of the Currier & Ives printmaking firm. Imbert's partnership with Currier exemplified the interconnected nature of the printmaking community in 19th-century America.

Despite his active role in the early American lithography scene, Anthony Imbert's life was cut short when he died in 1834. His death marked the loss of an influential figure in the development of American printmaking. Although not as widely recognized as some of his contemporaries, Imbert's work remains an important part of the history of American art, particularly in the context of lithography and its growth as a popular medium in the United States.