Nathaniel Currier was an American lithographer, who founded the famous Currier & Ives printmaking firm. Born on March 27, 1813, in Roxbury, Massachusetts, Currier learned the trade of lithography in Boston, before establishing his own New York-based firm, N. Currier, Lithographer, in 1835. The firm specialized in creating hand-colored lithographic prints that were affordable and appealed to the American public's taste.
Currier's business expanded after James Merritt Ives joined in 1857, and the firm was renamed Currier & Ives, becoming one of the most successful American printmaking companies of the 19th century. Their works often depicted scenes of American life, including winter landscapes, sporting events, and patriotic images, which became iconic representations of the era.
The firm produced more than a million prints during its operation, until it closed in 1907. Currier & Ives's prints are now valuable collector's items. Nathaniel Currier's impact on American visual culture was significant, as he contributed to the democratization of art by making it accessible to the broader public. He died on November 20, 1888, in Amesbury, Massachusetts, but his legacy endures through the vast collection of images produced by his firm that continue to capture the American spirit of the time.
