1. Le Nain Brothers & Currier & Ives
Meet The Masters
Le Nain Brothers
&
Currier & Ives

2. Le Nain Brothers
Antoine, Louis and Mathieu were three brothers, all painters, who were born in France.
They were famous for their paintings of rural life.

3. Le Nain Brothers
There are about 15 signed and dated pictures left by the brothers.

4. Le Nain Brothers
Since their style was very similar, there is no certain way of telling which brother painted which painting.

5. Le Nain Brothers
Most of their paintings were made of sober colors.

6. Currier & Ives
Nathaniel Currier was a famous publisher of colored engravings (cutting or carving a design on a hard surface, to make a print.)

7. Currier & Ives
Currier created a firm and years later, James Ives joined his firm and Currier & Ives was created.

8. Currier & Ives
The prints were lithographs; hand colored using a mass production system.

9. Currier & Ives
For nearly 50 years they published about 3 new prints each week on every aspect of American life.
Battle of Mill Springs in Kentocky

10. Currier & Ives
The lithographs featured portraits, sports, fires, disasters, The Civil War, political tracts, among others.
Chicago Fire 1871

11. Compare
Family of Peasants
Happy Family

12. Family of Peasants by Le Nain Brothers
Date This picture expresses the grave dignity of
a family close to the soil. A peasant is a farm worker
who was very poor. Le Nain obviously sympathized with
the subjects and wanted to emphasize their simple merit.

13. Happy Family by Currier & Ives
There is a family of grouse (a type of bird) painted with a lot of color.
The earth, sky, and animals are seen as strong, simple, and very vibrant forms
of nature.