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The Fisherman's Dog

National Museum of American History

Object Details

Baillie, James S.
Description
Sentimental genre prints documented the social image of Victorian virtue through domestic scenes of courtship, family, home life, and images of the “genteel female.” Children are depicted studying nature or caring for their obedient pets as they learn their place in the greater world. Romantic scenes picture devoted husbands with their contented, dutiful wives. In these prints, young women educated in reading, music, needlework, the arts, the language of flowers, basic math and science are subjugated to their family’s needs.
These prints became popular as lithography was introduced to 19th Century Americans. As a new art form, it was affordable for the masses and provided a means to share visual information by crossing the barriers of race, class and language. Sentimental prints encouraged the artistic endeavors of schoolgirls and promoted the ambitions of amateur artists, while serving as both moral instruction and home or business decoration. They are a pictorial record of our romanticized past.
This colored print is a sentimental, outdoor scene depicting a young girl standing at water's edge. Next to her is a dog leaning over the water, sniffing a floating black hat. She is wearing a plain clothing. A thatched-roof clapboard house and rocky coastline is in the background. The reference to the fisherman in the title, and the black hat floating in the water may allude to a fisherman lost at sea-perhaps the girl's father.
This print was produced by James S Baillie, was active in New York from 1838 to 1855. James Baillie started as a framer in 1838, and then became an artist and lithographer in 1843 or 1844. He discovered how to color lithographs while working as an independent contractor for Currier & Ives in the mid 1840’s. A prolific lithographer and colorist for Currier & Ives; his prints were extremely popular with a wide distribution. J. Baillie spent his later years concentrating on painting instead of lithography.
Location
Currently not on view
Credit Line
Harry T. Peters "America on Stone" Lithography Collection
ca 1850
ID Number
DL.60.2235
catalog number
60.2235
accession number
228146
Object Name
lithograph
Object Type
Lithograph
Physical Description
hand-colored (image production method/technique)
ink (overall material)
paper (overall material)
Measurements
image: 8 1/4 in x 12 1/4 in; 20.955 cm x 31.115 cm
overall: 12 in x 16 in; 30.48 cm x 40.64 cm
place made
United States: New York, New York City
Related Publication
Peters, Harry T.. America on Stone
See more items in
Home and Community Life: Domestic Life
Clothing & Accessories
Art
Peters Prints
Domestic Furnishings
National Museum of American History
Subject
Children
Pets
Architecture, Domestic Buildings
Flowers
Fishing
Record ID
nmah_324563
Metadata Usage (text)
CC0
GUID (Link to Original Record)
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746a1-2928-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa

Related Content

  • Dog: Museum’s Best Friend

The Fisherman's Dog
This image is in the public domain (free of copyright restrictions). You can copy, modify, and distribute this work without contacting the Smithsonian. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Open Access page.
International media Interoperability Framework
IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
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