Historical Society Program On America’s Printmakers

The Newtown Historical Society will make a nostalgic visit to the image of America past through the medium of the famed printmakers Currier & Ives at a program on Monday, February 12. The program will take place in the Community Room of the Booth Library, 25 Main Street (Route 25) in the center of Newtown, at 7:30 pm.

Beginning with his first published lithograph in 1835, Nathaniel Currier, later joined by his brother’s brother-in-law James Merrit Ives, became the best known image maker in American history. The lithographic process had been invented in Bavaria in 1799, and spread to America by 1819, becoming a popular medium of reproduction for scenes, sentimental subjects, sheet music, pictorial current events, and many other areas previously served by more expensive methods. It consisted of a crayon drawing on a limestone block, with a greasy crayon markings later receivingd a charge of ink, and the inked stone run through the press. It was a flat-surface medium, not requiring the inked image to be either raised from or cut into the surface. It became known as the Democratic Art because of the ease with which an artist could transfer an image into a printing medium, allowing print access to many more artists than had previously been possible when skilled engravers were called upon to prepare a printable plate. It also provided freedom of publication for much greater experimentation in subject choice and technique than the more expensive and slower art of engraving.

Currier & Ives were to take full advantage of these developments in becoming the vendors and creators of America’s images. The inexpensive process led to inexpensive art for the millions. Mr Currier’s first best-selling print was a view of the fire and destruction of the steamship Lexington in Long Island Sound in 1840. Mr Currier published his image three days after the news had reached New York; never before had such news events had such quick pictorial representation, and the firm’s reputation was assured. Currier & Ives went on to publish over 7,000 images from dripping sentimentality to blatant racial caricature, from historical figures and events to iconic Americana such as the American Homestead series, from the sporting events of the day to sprawling urban birds-eye views, from fine art to job printing pictorial trade cards. The bulk of their work was America the Beautiful, designed to please and reinforce middle class values. The  firm hired the finest artists to create the original painting, and often commissioned them to draw directly on the stone as well, the first time artists had been able to control their work in preparation for publication. The large majority of prints were colored by hand in early assembly line process, by paid-by-the-piece women each adding a color as the print traveled down the line. With the smaller prints retailing at 20 cents and wholesaling for six cents, they were a boon for popular culture but didn’t leave much room for the piecework wages.

The slide program will be represented by Gordon Williams, a retired teacher who first developed his interest by collecting images to show his history classes what America was really like. Beginning as an elementary teacher, Mr Williams developed a love for history, and returned to school to obtain a second BA in the subject, later working for an MA and a 6th year degree from Wesleyan in history, combining this with his background in art history. He is a former president of the Booth Library Board of Trustees, and is currently president of the Newtown Lions Club, as well as serving as a Trustee of the Historical Society.

Newtown Historical Society programs are free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served following  the presentation.