Dec 13, 2018 - Sale 2496

Sale 2496 - Lot 338

Price Realized: $ 1,500
?Final Price Realized includes Buyer’s Premium added to Hammer Price
Estimate: $ 600 - $ 900
CURRIER, NATHANIEL; after HEWITT, W.K. Awful Conflagration of the Steam Boat Lexington in Long Island Sound on Monday Eve'g, Jan'y 13th 1840, by which Melancholy Occurrence, Over 120 Persons Perished. Broadside with hand-colored lithograph and letterpress. 21 1/2x14 inches sheet size, ample margins; desires restoration. sold as is. New York, circa 1840
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Additional Details

The disaster of the Lexington while steaming in Long Island Sound was major American news of the day. Currier was able to very quickly produce the lithograph and it was immediately cycled in the New York Sun, the city's largest newspaper. The image was Currier's first commercial success and propelled his lithography firm to prominence. The present broadside is a scarce edition of the print, together with a map of the Sound, a full list of passengers, and Captain Chester Hilliard's chilling testimony of the calamity below the image.