Billiards – "A Kiss"
In this humorous print featuring a billiards game, a young woman surreptitiously kisses the cheek of a young man, who is about to hit a billiard ball with his cue stick. To the right of the billiard table is an older, bald man, who has distractedly turned away from the couple in order to light his cigar, while propping his cue against his right shoulder.
Nathaniel Currier, whose successful New York-based lithography firm began in 1835, produced thousands of 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.
Nathaniel Currier, whose successful New York-based lithography firm began in 1835, produced thousands of 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.
Artwork Details
- Title: Billiards – "A Kiss"
- Artist: John Cameron (American, born Scotland, ca. 1828–after 1896 New York)
- Publisher: Currier & Ives (American, active New York, 1857–1907)
- Date: 1874
- Medium: Hand-colored lithograph
- Dimensions: Image: 8 1/4 in. × 13 in. (21 × 33 cm)
Image and text: 9 1/8 in. × 13 in. (23.2 × 33 cm)
Sheet: 10 1/2 in. × 16 in. (26.7 × 40.6 cm) - Classification: Prints
- Credit Line: Gift of A. S. Colgate, 1952
- Object Number: 52.632.170
- Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints
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John Cameron
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