This post comes to us from Jan Czepiel, curatorial volunteer at the NBMAA.
Central Park, Winter/The Skating Pond, 1862. Currier & Ives (1857-1907). Lithograph, 18 3/8 in x 26 3/4 in. Collection of Dr. Dorrance Kelly.
It was around the holidays that I first heard of Currier & Ives prints. Introduced in 1936, calendars with Currier & Ives reproductions were part of the Travelers market branding efforts. As an employee of the Travelers Insurance Company – before all the mergers and spin-offs – my aunt received free calendars. I think she was quite an enthusiast and knew all the images ever printed, which prints were repeats, and looked for her favorites. When over time employees were limited to a fixed number, she doled them out only to “those who would appreciate them.”
New Britain Museum of American Art 