[WALKER, William Aiken (1839-1921)]. The Levee - New Orleans. New York: Currier & Ives, 1884.

27 1/2 x 37 1/2 in. lithograph (including margins), housed in period frame, 35 1/2 x 45 1/2 in. Signed in lower margin of print, "W. Walker, 1883," with title and publication information printed in lower margin below print. A highly detailed rendering of a vibrant New Orleans port, focusing on a large pier filled with piles of goods and wagons loaded with cargo. Black male subjects of varying ages are visible in the foreground resting on piles of sacks, while two white men stand near the center, deep in conversation. Numerous steamboats docked along the Mississippi River can be seen in the background.

South Carolina native William Aiken Walker is best known for his depictions of the South during and after Reconstruction. In the 1880s, the artist made frequent trips up and down the Mississippi River and produced numerous paintings of Black plantation life as well as New Orleans' bustling commercial activity.

Currier & Ives decided to produce the lithograph offered here based on Walker's painting of a busy New Orleans port scene in an effort to appeal to prospective customers in the Southern US, some of whom may have had business dealings in the city. (Information obtained from The Metropolitan Museum of Art website, 12 February 2025.)

Light toning, occasional spotting, unexamined outside of frame. Some surface wear to frame, including some chipping to edges/corners.

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American Historical Ephemera & Photography, including African Americana

[WALKER, William Aiken (1839-1921)]. The Levee - New Orleans. New York: Currier & Ives, 1884.

American Historical Ephemera & Photography, including African Americana

[WALKER, William Aiken (1839-1921)]. The Levee - New Orleans. New York: Currier & Ives, 1884.

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