Category:Ruins of the Merchants' Exchange N.Y. after the Destructive Conflagration of Decbr. 16 & 17, 1835

Ruins of the Merchants' Exchange N.Y. after the Destructive Conflagration of Decbr. 16 & 17, 1835

When Nathaniel Currier opened a printing business in New York City in 1834, little did he know that his images and those created later with James Merritt Ives were going to play an important role in shaping the identity of a nation. In 1835, Currier created a sensation with his lithograph illustrating the great fire that swept through New York City's business district. In only four days, the young lithographer printed thousands of copies attempting to satisfy the public demand to see Ruins of the Merchants' Exchange N.Y. after the Destructive Conflagration of Decbr. 16 & 17, 1835. Realizing the American public's thirst for images and the news, Currier created several more disaster prints and other inexpensive lithographs illustrating local and national happenings.