Item 67: Lithograph titled “Water Hunting for Deer. A Night Scene on the River Susquehanna, Penn.,” Published by George Stinson & Co., after George Catlin (removed to Oversized Print Box #2), [ca. 1855-1860]
Item — Box: 21, Folder: 67
Dates
- Created: [ca. 1855-1860]
Creator
- George Stinson & Co., 1871 to 1890 (Organization)
Access:
All series and subseries within this collection are open for research, with the exception of a few files within the Academia series that are restricted. The Academia series contains financial and sensitive institutional records from Wilkes College, and financial report records from Princeton University that will remain restricted for 80 years upon creation.
Extent
1 items
Language of Materials
From the Collection: English
Type of Material:
Lithograph
Condition Note:
Fair.
Measurements:
15 ¾ in. x 12 in.
Title:
Water Hunting for Deer. A Night Scene on the River Susquehanna, Penn.
Description:
A lithograph published by George Stinson and Company after a painting by George Catlin depicting a boat approaching some deer drinking from the river at nighttime. A hunter is aiming at the deer. The Susquehanna River is a major river located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and covers much of Pennsylvania. It stretches 444 miles long, making it the longest river on the East Coast, and the 16th largest river in the United States. The river is made up of two main branches including the North Branch and the West Branch. The river drains 27,500 square miles that includes much of Pennsylvania. The river empties into the northern part of the Chesapeake Bay.
According to Valley Views of Northeastern Pennsylvania, by Gilbert S. McClintock, “Catlin writes ‘I was on the water all night with my Colts Revolving Rifle, and in the morning soon looked up seven of my victims, several others were wounded, but made their escape.’
George Catlin was born in Wilkes-Barré on the Susquehanna, studied to be an artist in Philadelphia, and became the greatest Indian painter of his time. His artist friend, Colonel Samuel Colt, the inventor, requested him to paint a series of ten pictures to advertise the Colt products. Between 1852 and 1857 these paintings were executed, and from the ten paintings six were selected to be lithographed and published in a portfolio as an advertising medium for the Colt arms. This was probably the first time in this country that an artist was employed to advertise the use of a company product. The original painting from which this lithograph was copied is now owned by Mrs. E. Cushman, a great-niece of Colonel Colt. Currier & Ives, giving no credit to Catlin as the artist, lithographed and published it as Still Hunting on the Susquehanna. It was also copied and published by George Stinson & Co., Portland, Me., without giving credit to Catlin.”
George Catlin was born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania on July 26, 1796 and was an American lawyer, painter, author, and traveler. He was especially known for his portraiture of Native Americans in the American frontier. During the 1830s he made many trips to the American West and painted and wrote about Native American life on the Plains. Much of his earlier work consisted of engravings, drawings from nature, and depictions of sites along the Erie Canal in New York. He died on December 23, 1872.
Operating from around 1871 to 1890 and located in Portland, Maine, George Stinson & Company was a well known lithography firm. This business produced many prints including a front view of the United States Capitol building, and many lithographs of the United States presidents including Lincoln, Grant, and Washington. The company published the print for the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition: In Remembrance of The One Hundredth Anniversary of The Independence of The United States in 1876.
Day and Son was previously occupied by William Day, and was often referred to as one of the most prominent lithographic firms of the nineteenth century. The company is documented on record that the business began in 1823 and moved to 17 Gate Street not long after. In 1837, Day and Son was granted the status of 'Lithographers to Queen Victoria and to the Queen Dowager, Queen Adelaide.’ When William Day had died in 1837, he passed the business down to his son William Day Jr. Now the company would be referred to as Day and Son.
Mentioned in the description, Samuel Colt was born on July 19, 1814 in Hartford, Connecticut. He was an inventor, industrialist, and businessman, establishing the Colt’s Patent Fire-Arms Manufacturing Company in the 1830s. He fabricated the production of firearms to be commercially viable. His production of these firearms made him the first to use an assembly line efficiently. He had also ventured into making underwater mines. He later died on January 10, 1862 and was one of the wealthiest men in America, paving the way for advertisement, product placement, and mass marketing.
The date for the manuscript has been ascertained by a comparison to a similar manuscript on the Amon Carter Museum of American Art’s web page.
Location:
Fair
Transcription:
HUNTING ON THE SUSQUEHANNA.
PUBLISHED BY GEORGE STINSON & CO. PORTLAND, MAINE.
Creator
- George Stinson & Co., 1871 to 1890 (Organization)
- Catlin, George, 1796-1872 (Person)
- Day and Son, active 1823-1864 (Organization)
- Colt, Samuel, 1814 - 1862 (Person)
Repository Details
Part of the Wilkes University Archives Repository
Contact:
84 W South St.
Wilkes-Barre PA 18701 US
570-408-2000
570-408-7823 (Fax)
ask.archives@wilkes.edu
84 W South St.
Wilkes-Barre PA 18701 US
570-408-2000
570-408-7823 (Fax)
ask.archives@wilkes.edu