The Old Norman Castle

This print is an example of America's taste for European medieval subjects and Gothic architecture, which prompted a Gothic Revival and Romantic style in American literature, art and architecture in the mid-1830s to the 1850s. In this picturesque landscape, two men on horseback (seen from behind) ride on a dirt road past Gothic ruins and a stone fortress with three towers; a village, a body of water and mountains are in the distance.

Nathaniel Currier, who established a successful New York-based lithography firm 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. In 1857, Currier made accountant James Merritt Ives, his brother Charles's brother-in-law, a business partner; the firm was then renamed "Currier & Ives." People eagerly acquired Currier & Ives lithographs, such as those featuring landscapes, rural and city views, hunting and fishing scenes, domestic life and numerous other subjects, as an inexpensive way to decorate their homes or business establishments. Frances Flora (Fanny) Palmer was one of the most important artists working for Nathaniel Currier, and later Currier and Ives, between 1849 and 1868, when she produced approximately 200 of the firm's best landscapes and most engaging scenes of daily life.