Tuesday, January 03, 2006

Is this a Gordon or a Gordie?


While I sit here and waste half the day waiting for a tow truck, I'm perusing the sporting print dealers for next year's Christmas gifts. Check out the above print. Here is the dealer's info:

A.F. Tait. [Hunting dog] Boston: L. Prang & Co.(?), 1868. Chromolithograph. 9 3/4 x 12. Mounted on board as issued. Very good condition. In period frame.

Chromolithography was developed by publishers in the later part of the nineteenth century as a medium to produce inexpensive prints that filled the demand for attractive images to hang in homes of those that could not afford original paintings. Sporting art was quite quite popular at the time, so a number of chromolithographed prints were made with hunting and fishing scenes. Perhaps the greatest of the sporting artists of the period was A.F. Tait, who produced images for prints made both by Currier & Ives of New York and L. Prang of Boston. This is a lovely example of his work, perhaps issued by Prang. $550

Mike, if you collect enough soda cans, this print can be yours.

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