Ives, James Merritt
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.
Duty, Honor, Country.
West Point, from Phillipstown. To Colonel S. Thayer Superintendant of the U.S. Military Academy, West Point...
$3,200.00
Acquire
- Digital Map Information
- Suitable for large format printing
- File Size: 25.72 MB
- File Type: ZIP / TIFF
- ICC color profile embedded
- Delivered instantly via download link
This is a scarce c. 1860 Currier and Ives view of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, based on an earlier painting by William James Bennett. (more details)
Securing Union control of New Orleans.
The Battle of Baton Rouge, La., Aug. 4th 1862.
$600.00
Acquire
- Digital Map Information
- Suitable for large format printing
- File Size: 20.89 MB
- File Type: ZIP / TIFF
- ICC color profile embedded
- Delivered instantly via download link
This is Nathaniel Currier and James Ives' view of the Battle of Baton Rouge fought on August 5, 1862 (not August 4 as stated here), during the American Civil War (1861 - 1865). Though the Union commander, Gen. Thomas Williams, was killed in the battle, the city was successfully defended from a Confederate attack, securing Union control of New Orleans. (more details)
First Clash of Ironclads - by America's first female professional artist.
Terrific Engagement Between the 'Monitor' 2 guns, and 'Merrimac' 10 guns, in Hampton Roads, March 9th 1862. The First Fight between Iron Ships of War. In which the Merrimac was ripped, and the whole Rebel Fleet driven back to Norfolk.
$8,500.00
Acquire
- Digital Map Information
- Suitable for large format printing
- Full resolution TIFF file
- ICC color profile embedded
- Delivered instantly via download link
A striking 1862 Currier and Ives original lithograph view of the historic American Civil War battle of the Monitor and Merrimac. Considered the first clash of Ironclads, this was one of the most important naval engagements in the American Civil War (1861 - 1865), transforming future naval warfare. This is one of the first images of the historic battle that would have been available to the general public. Moreover, it is the work of Frances 'Fanny' Palmer, the first American woman to work as a professional artist. (more details)
Naval Battle at Fort Pillow, Tennessee.
Brilliant Naval Victory on the Mississippi River, near Fort Wright, May 10, 1862.
$600.00
Acquire
- Digital Map Information
- Suitable for large format printing
- File Size: 9.35 MB
- File Type: ZIP / TIFF
- ICC color profile embedded
- Delivered instantly via download link
A rare American 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 the chaos of battle is almost palpable. (more details)
The nail in the coffin of the Confederacy.
The Capture of Atlanta, Georgia, Sept. 2d, 1864.
$600.00
Acquire
- Digital Map Information
- Suitable for large format printing
- File Size: 26.02 MB
- File Type: ZIP / TIFF
- ICC color profile embedded
- Delivered instantly via download link
This is a nice example of Charles Currier and James Ives' print depicting the 1864 capture of Atlanta by Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman's forces during the U.S. Civil War. The battle was a key victory in Sherman's 1864 Georgia campaign, which culminated in the 'March to the Sea' and the capture of Savannah. Having seized the rebels' rail hub, destroyed their supply lines, and quite literally cut the Confederacy in half, the campaign was decisive in ensuring the Confederacy's ultimate defeat. (more details)
Romantic, Melancholy Mystery.
The Grottoes of the Sea.
$500.00
Acquire
- Digital Map Information
- Suitable for large format printing
- File Size: 7.64 MB
- File Type: ZIP / TIFF
- ICC color profile embedded
- Delivered instantly via download link
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. (more details)
First sight of the Pacific on the Central Pacific.
Through to the Pacific.
$1,900.00
Acquire
- Digital Map Information
- Suitable for large format printing
- File Size: 11.1 MB
- File Type: ZIP / TIFF
- ICC color profile embedded
- Delivered instantly via download link
This is an 1870 Currier and Ives lithograph celebrating the arrival of the Central Pacific Railroad on the West Coast - San Francisco is in the background. This is one of Currier and Ives' most iconic small-format views. (more details)
Romance of the West.
Presented by Dr. S. Vanmeter and Co. of Charleston, Illinois Infirmary. The Great West.
$650.00
Acquire
- Digital Map Information
- Suitable for large format printing
- File Size: 10.13 MB
- File Type: ZIP / TIFF
- ICC color profile embedded
- Delivered instantly via download link
This is a rare presentation variant of Currier and Ives' 1870 lithograph view, 'The Great West.' Like many Currier and Ives prints, the image capitalizes on the American fascination with the dramatic scenery and potential of Westward Expansion. The present example represents a curious variant presented by Dr. S. VanMeter of Charleston of the Illinois Infirmary. (more details)
The fire that destroyed Boston.
The Great Fire at Boston, November 9th and 10th 1872.
$750.00
Acquire
- Digital Map Information
- Suitable for large format printing
- File Size: 13.99 MB
- File Type: ZIP / TIFF
- ICC color profile embedded
- Delivered instantly via download link
This is an 1872 Currier and Ives chromolithograph view of the Great Boston Fire of 1872. It is one of only a few contemporaneous views of the Boston Fire, published just days after the event depicted. (more details)
End of the Era of Steamboat Racing.
Midnight Race on the Mississippi.
$650.00
Acquire
- Digital Map Information
- Suitable for large format printing
- File Size: 11.67 MB
- File Type: ZIP / TIFF
- ICC color profile embedded
- Delivered instantly via download link
A gorgeous 1872 Currier and Ives hand-colored lithograph of steamboats racing on the Mississippi River. By the time of its publication, steamboat racing and river steamboats were becoming less popular, imbuing the piece with a touch of nostalgia. (more details)
Greatest technological and engineering wonder of its generation.
The Great East River Suspension Bridge. Connecting the Cities of New York and Brooklyn. View from Brooklyn, Looking West.
$1,800.00
Acquire
- Digital Map Information
- Suitable for large format printing
- File Size: 36.31 MB
- File Type: ZIP / TIFF
- ICC color profile embedded
- Delivered instantly via download link
This is an 1883 Currier and Ives lithograph view of the Brooklyn Bridge, issued to capitalize on popular obsession following the opening of 'Great East River Bridge', one of the greatest technological and architectural wonders of the late 19th century. (more details)