Currier & Ives Prints-Original or Reproduction? Distinguishing between an original and a reproduction of a Currier & Ives print is a job for an expert. I am not an expert on Currier & Ives original prints.
News-Antique.com - Nov 30,-0001 - Chickering's did a little research after putting our vintage reproduction Currier & Ives prints in the shop, to find out how to tell a reproduction from an original Currier & Ives print.
One way to determine a reproduction print is in the look of the ink. Original Currier & Ives prints were lithographs.
A lithograph is produced by pressing an inked stone onto paper by a printing press. The artwork is etched in the stone by a solution after a series of procedures beginning with an artist drawing an art sketch. Currier & Ives used black ink on stone for the basis of their prints. They then had workers paint in the colors on their magnificent prints.
Currier & Ives made artwork through 1907. The firms N. Currier and Currier & Ives issued more than 7000 different print titles during their history.
By looking at the print with a magnifying glass, you will see symmetrical dot patterns and uniform dots in the artwork of a reproduction. An original Currier & Ives print will have irregular dots, dashes and non-symmetrical patterns.
Does the coloring look quite uniform and neat? Currier & Ives produced from mid 1830's to 1907 inexpensive and popular prints. The coloring of the prints was done quickly by young women who were not artists. Colors extended outside lines, and a small number of hues were used on the prints.
On the large folio prints, skilled artists colored the Currier & Ives prints with fine detail and expertise.
In the hand colored areas of an original, you will see irregular black dots, but no cyan, magenta or yellow dots. The water color applied will seem to lay on the surface.
Hold the print up to the light, can you see a watermark on the paper, if you can, most likely it is a reproduction.
Currier & Ives used sturdy rag paper, feeling like heavy constuction paper. Reproductions tend to be thinner paper, slick to the feel or shiny.
There are also Re-strikes, Very Good reproductions and Forgeries out there. When in doubt, consult an expert on Currier & Ives original prints. Some originals cost from a thousand to thousands of dollars and before you invest, you want to be sure you are buying an authentic Currier & Ives print.
Re-strikes were prints made by companies who bought the original stones used by Currier & Ives after they closed their business.
We are offering four vintage reproductions which are quite beautiful of the American Homestead Winter, Autumn, Summer and Spring.
These prints came from Brunn & Bertheim in a portfolio of four prints for Seasons Greetings.
