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1862 Currier and Ives View of the Civil War Naval Battle of Plum Point Bend (Mississippi River)
BrilliantNavalVictory-currierives-1862$950.00
Title
Brilliant Naval Victory on the Mississippi River, near Fort Wright, May 10, 1862.
1862 (dated) 9.5 x 13 in (24.13 x 33.02 cm)
1862 (dated) 9.5 x 13 in (24.13 x 33.02 cm)
Description
A rare civil war naval combat scene. This is an 1862 Currier and Ives view of the American Civil War naval battle of Plum Point Bend (also known as Battle of Fort Pillow), fought on the Mississippi River in Tennessee. The view illustrates the close quarters fighting between Confederate and Federal ironclads. The Federal ironclads Cincinnati, Cairo, Benton, St. Louis, and Carondelet occupy the foreground. Multiple vessels are sinking or on fire such that chaos of battle is almost palpable.
The Battle of Plum Point Bend
Fought on May 10, 1862, the Confederate River Defense Fleet engaged the Federal Western Flotilla commanded by Flag Officer Andrew H. Foote (1806 - 1863). Foote planned a joint attack Fort Pillow with Flag Officer David G. Farragut's (1801 - 1870) Federal naval squadron. Fort Pillow was a massive 5-mile long Confederate Mississippi River fort defended by forty guns - one of the last and strongest Confederate forts on this part of the Mississippi. The Confederates learned of Foote's presence north of Fort Pillow before Farragut arrived. Their commander, Captain James E. Montgomery (1814 - 1871), launched preemptive attack Foote's fleet before it could be reinforced by Farragut. Fighting lasted all of one hour, but the damage was done. Montgomery sunk two Federal ironclads and a mortar boat. But, because the Federal fleet disabled four of the eight Confederate ships, and the Confederate fleet withdrew to Fort Pillow, Union forces claimed victory.Chromolithography
Chromolithography is a color lithographic technique developed in the mid-19th century. The process involved using multiple lithographic stones, one for each color, to yield a rich composite effect. Oftentimes, the process would start with a black basecoat upon which subsequent colors were layered. Some chromolithographs used 30 or more separate lithographic stones to achieve the desired product. Chromolithograph color could also be effectively blended for even more dramatic results. The process became extremely popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when it emerged as the dominate method of color printing. The vivid color chromolithography produced made it exceptionally effective for advertising and propaganda imagery.Publication History and Census
This view was created and published by Currier and Ives in 1862. A solitary example is cataloged in OCLC as part of the collection at the Library of Congress. We have located one other cataloged example at the Huntington Library. Rare.CartographerS
Nathaniel Currier (March 27, 1813 - November 20, 1888) was an American lithographer best known as part of 'Currier and Ives'. Born in Roxbury, Massachusetts, Currier attended public schools until fifteen, when he apprenticed with the Boston lithographic firm of William and John Pendleton. The Pendletons were the first successful lithographers in the United States and were responsible for educating the next generation of lithographic printers. In 1833, Currier left the Pendleton's shop to work with M.E.D. Brown in Philadelphia. A year later, Currier moved to New York City, where he planned to start a business with John Pendleton. When Pendleton backed out, Currier found a new partner, founding 'Currier and Stodart', but the concern survived for just a year. Currier opened his own lithographic studio in 1835 as an eponymous sole-proprietorship. He initially printed the standard materials, including letterheads, sheet music, and handbills. Later in 1835, Currier began issuing current event imagery. Some of his news printers were issued in the New York Sun. By 1840, Currier had moved away from 'job printing' and further toward fine-print publishing. His Awful Conflagration of the Steam Boat 'Lexington', was published in the Sun that year, as well as being separately issued. James Ives (March 5, 1824 - January 3, 1895) began working under Currier in 1850 as a bookkeeper. Ives contributed greatly to the growth of the business, particularly as a manager, marketer, and businessman. Ives became a full partner in 1857, and the firm was renamed 'Currier and Ives'. Currier and Ives produced over 7,500 images and is best remembered for its popular art prints, particularly Christmas scenes and landscapes. They also produced banners, illustrations of current events, views, and historical scenes. Currier retired in 1880 and turned the business over to his son Edward. Currier married Eliza West Farnsworth in 1840, with whom he had one child Edward West Currier. Eliza died in 1843. Currier remarried to Lura Ormsbee in 1847. Other than being a lithographer, Currier also served as a volunteer New York City fireman during the 1850s, and he liked fast horses. More by this mapmaker...
James Merritt Ives (March 5, 1824 - January 3, 1895) was an American businessman, bookkeeper, and lithographer who oversaw the business side of the famed lithographic firm Currier and Ives. Born in New York City, Ives was a self-trained artist who began working at the age of twelve. He married Caroline Clark (1827 - 1896) on June 24, 1846, who was the sister-in-law of Nathaniel Currier's brother, Charles Currier. In 1852, Nathaniel Currier (March 27, 1813 - November 20, 1888) hired Ives as the bookkeeper for his firm N. Currier, Lithographer, on Charles's recommendation. Ives' talent for art and his knowledge of the artistic world soon became apparent to Currier, who valued his insights as well as the business acumen. Currier offered Ives a full partnership in 1857. They renamed the firm 'Currier and Ives' with Ives as the general manager. Ives began to play a role in selecting artists and prints to publish, and was responsible for pursuing publication of scenes of middle-class America that made the firm famous. After Ives died in 1895, his sons continued to work with Currier's son to manage the firm until it was liquidated in 1907. Learn More...
Condition
Very good.
References
OCLC 51116440.