Holidays in the Country: Troublesome Flies

In this farm scene, a Black man naps in a barn interior on top of a large wooden chest, while two white boys mischievously tickle his head with hay straws, causing the man to wave his arms to swat away "the flies." At left, two horses are in their horse stalls, while chickens roam about the central interior (and barnyard beyond); a dog and her puppies are at the right. A youngster holding the barn door looks on in amusement. Visible beyond the open door are cows standing in a pond, and a farmhouse in the background.


Nathaniel Currier, whose successful New York-based lithography firm began in 1835, produced thousands of prints (most drawn on the stones by other artists) in various sizes that together create a vivid panorama of mid-to-late nineteenth century American life and its history. People eagerly acquired such lithographs featuring picturesque scenery, rural and city views, ships, railroads, portraits, hunting and fishing scenes, domestic life and numerous other subjects, as an inexpensive way to decorate their homes or business establishments. As the firm expanded, Nathaniel included his younger brother Charles in the business. In 1857, James Merritt Ives (the firm's accountant since 1852 and Charles's brother-in-law) was made a business partner; subsequently renamed Currier & Ives, the firm continued until 1907.