Lithograph of ELECTRIC

hand colored lithograph

PRINTS - LITHOGRAPHS
Currier & Ives
France, Normandie, Le Havre; USA, NJ, Sandy Hook; USA, NY, New York Bay
1854
paper
19.50 x 28.25 x 0

Hand colored lithograph of the clipper ship ELECTRIC. This is a starboard view of the vessel with a lighthouse and steamship in the immediate right background, and a ship with land visible in the background to the left. The lithograph is signed in the lower right corner "LEBRETON". Printed toward the bottom center "Imp. Lemercier Paris/ 19/ LE CLIPPER AMERICAIN ELECTRIC/ DE NEW-YORK AU HAVRE, ARRIVANT AUX ETATS UIS EN VUE DU FEU DE SANDY-HOOK/ 1854". Also, "Paris, WILD, edit rue de la Banque 15 pres de la Bourse." printed across bottom left edge.

The extreme clipper ship ELECTRIC was launched at Mystic, Connecticut, in 1853, and her first master was Gurdon Gates. Developed as a recognizable American type in the 1840s, the clipper ship, like the ELECTRIC, had a long, sleek, narrow hull, sharp bow, and tall rig with a large spread of sail. Although most clipper ships were engaged in the Pacific trades, speeding goods to San Francisco during the gold rush, or dashing home with tea from China, the ELECTRIC spent most of her time in transatlantic service, sailing between New York and Liverpool, Le Havre, or Hamburg. Captain Gates commanded the 185-foot ship for four years.

1949.3200