Clipper Ship "Contest"

Marine views and other pictures of ships at sea have long appealed to collectors and popular taste. After gold was discovered in California in 1849, fast ships were needed for cargo trade and passenger transport. New York City shipbuilders soon excelled at constructing the finest, fleetest and best equipped clipper ships, and Nathanial Currier's lithography firm was eager to satisfy the public's desire for pictures of these ships. The clipper ship "Contest" was built in the noted shipyards of Jacob A. Westervelt in 1852; this print is dedicated to his son, Daniel D. Westervelt, who is identified as the builder of "Contest." Its first voyage from New York to San Francisco took 100 days; the return journey was made in 80 days. Over the next decade, this ship made numerous lucrative trade voyages; in 1863, during the American Civil War, it was destroyed by the Confederate ship "CSS Alabama."

Nathaniel Currier, whose successful New York-based lithography firm began in 1835, produced thousands of hand-colored prints 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.