Perhaps many of us know Currier and Ives from old Christmas greeting cards and note cards. On these cards I first noticed the distinct style and meticulous detail in various scenes of casual American life. Despite my previous studies of Art, behind the “iron curtain” I knew little about many American artists, including Currier and Ives.
What a book! Edited by Colin Simkin, the book was published by Crown Publishers, Inc.: New York, in 1951. Five interesting chapters cover the invention of lithography and the full story of the artists’ work. Eighty color plates of Currier and Ives’ lithographs are a joy to explore and admire. Publishers were grateful to The Travelers Insurance Companies “for their courtesy in making available the fine color plates used in this volume.” The reproductions were made from Currier and Ives' prints in The Travelers collection.
On the inside of the title page I am reading the following dedication:
“Dedicated to the people of today’s America who appreciate the heritage left them by the people of Currier and Ives’ America.”
The dedication prompted me to share this simple story, as also did the plate on the last page with the bold writing: “GOD BLESS OUR SCHOOL.” Today, sixty years later, of course, we are today’s America. The art of Currier and Ives is our heritage. I wonder if children in today's America appreciate the kind of art like collection of lithographs in the Currier and Ives’ America. I doubt it. I think we choose to be poorer and more disturbed when we ignore the intellectual and artistic heritage of our country and reject it as too “irrelevant”, “dull,” and “boring” for the modern exciting, busy world.
