PUBLISHER: Published by Currier & Ives 152 Nassau St. New York.
MEDIUM: Handcolored lithograph,
DATE: 1870.
EDITION SIZE: Large folio - image size 18 3/8 x 29 1/4" (46.6 x 73.9 cm).
DESCRIPTION: The title continues with: Between the Steamers Robt. E. Lee, Capt. J..W. Cannon and Natchez, Capt. T. .P. Leathers. Won by the Robt. E. Lee, Time : 3 days 128 hours 30 minutes.<br><br> A scarce and dramatic image By Currier & Ives o one of the most renowned Mississippi paddle boats races.<br><br> This race made national headlines and as such large wagers were made. Some papers covered the gambling on the race—which produced bets totaling upwards of $1 million—as avidly as the race itself. The Daily Arkansas Gazette, for example, reported that “New Orleans was wild with excitement and betting going on furiously. One enthusiastic admirer of the Natchez in that city has staked all his cash and closed by betting his house and lot against $30,000.” .<br><br> Nor was the excitement limited to New Orleans. “Betting by telegraph between Cincinnati, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Louisville and Chicago exceeds anything ever done or heard of,” the Gazette added.<br><br> “I think that much the most enjoyable of all races is a steamboat race. Two red-hot steamboats raging along, neck-and-neck, straining every nerve—that is to say, every rivet in the boilers—quaking and shaking and groaning from stem to stern, spouting white steam from the pipes, pouring black smoke from the chimneys, raining down sparks, parting the river into long breaks of hissing foam—this is sport that makes a body’s very liver curl with enjoyment.”<br> Samuel Clemens. The SS Robert E. Lee, nicknamed the "Monarch of the Mississippi" was built in 1866 in New Albany, Indiana. She was named after General Robert E. Lee of Civil War fame. She gained her greatest fame for racing and beating the then-current speed record holder, Natchez.<br><br> The SS Natchez. Was the seventh boat of her name. She was built in 1869 in Cincinnati. She and the proceeding five boats were all captained by Thomas P. Leathers. Ex. Confederate President Jefferson Davis, always travelled on Captain Leathers boats when he travelled on the river.<br><br>
ADDITIONAL INFO:
CONDITION: Good condition, minor color fading. Framed in antique bird's-eye maple.
REFERENCE: Conningham #2644.
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