The Harvest Moon

Publisher Currier & Ives American
1857–71
Not on view
In this moonlit landscape a man on horseback and a dog walk on a dirt road flanked by tall trees; they approach a field beside a river where men load sheaves of wheat onto a cart. Moonlight reflects off the distant river seen between trees, and the scene is crowned by a dramatic



The New York firm of Currier & Ives grew from a printing business established by Nathaniel Currier (1813–1888) in 1835. Expansion led, in 1857, to a partnership with brother-in-law James Merritt Ives (1824–1895). The firm operated until 1907, lithographing over 4,000 subjects for distribution across America and Europe with popular categories including landscape, marines, natural history, genre, caricatures, portraits, history and foreign views. Until the 1880s, images were printed in monochrome, then hand-colored by women who worked for the company at home.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: The Harvest Moon
  • Publisher: Currier & Ives (American, active New York, 1857–1907)
  • Date: 1857–71
  • Medium: Hand-colored lithograph
  • Dimensions: Image (including ruled border): 11 1/2 × 16 1/4 in. (29.2 × 41.3 cm)
    Image with text: 13 in. × 16 1/4 in. (33 × 41.3 cm)
    Sheet: 14 15/16 × 18 7/8 in. (38 × 48 cm)
  • Classification: Prints
  • Credit Line: Gift of A. S. Colgate, 1951
  • Object Number: 51.567.65
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

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