1869 Currier and Ives Fantasy View of a Romantic Grotto, Inscribed as a Gift

Romantic, Melancholy Mystery.

This eerie, beautiful hand-tinted 1869 Currier and Ives lithograph depicts an imaginary, romantic grotto. It is not a real-world location, but rather a theatrical image on a theme inspired by contemporary paintings and descriptions of actual European locales, such as Mark Twain's description of Capri's Blue Grotto in his Innocents Abroad, also published in 1869. Currier and Ives produced a number of such fantasy scenes, such as The Fairy Grotto in 1867.

A Closer Look

Lush trees and undergrowth on the shoreline frame the nighttime scene. A full moon peeks through the clouds, illuminating still waters. Across an inlet from the viewer, a stony grotto shelters a bonfire, around which a group of young men and women gather. (For who but the young would venture out to so remote a place, and at such an hour?) Remote, because these adventurous people needed boats to get there: these can be seen pulled up on the shore by the grotto. Seven figures can be seen at the fire - they are well dressed, and judging by their silhouettes, three women and four men. There are two couples to the left and right; between them, two men and a woman. Is she making a decision?

Gifted to a Teenage Girl

This print has been hand-inscribed as an award. Dated February 6, 1875, it was presented by teacher Frances Marion Westhafer (January 12, 1850 - March 17, 1922) to 14-year-old Eugenia Campbell (1861 - 1932) to commemorate her 'remarkable improvement in the art of penmanship and as a tribute of respect.' Campbell studied, and Westhafer taught, at the Mt. Pleasant School in the town of the same name in Martin County, Indiana. To the left, the three judges for the penmanship prize have signed the work: these include Mrs. H. M. Westhafer (née Sims, who had wedded Westhafer that January). Eugenia married at 20, bore four sons and a daughter, lost a son in childbirth, and another, apparently, in World War I (1914 - 1918). She outlived her husband by four years, but apparently, in poverty. The survival of the piece - through all the vicissitudes of Eugenia's life - suggests it was a gift well chosen, a cherished remembrance of a romantic young girl.

Publication History and Census

This lithograph, printed in 1869 by Currier and Ives, appears on the market from time to time but is scarce.

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.   Further Details...

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.   Further Details...

Condition

Good. Toned overall, with some marginal mends.