The lithographers Nathaniel Currier and James Ives created more than 7000 of their enormously popular hand-colored prints during the latter half of the 19th century. This study of their work investigates the ways it reflected the times in which it was produced, putting the prints into categories that include the Civil War, the frontier, African-Americans, and family life. The author also includes a consideration of Currier and Ives`s sometimes unfortunate attitudes toward race and ethnicity.