c1890 Currier and Ives Cats Hand Colored Lithograph "Three Little White Kitties". Original Over 100 year old print displays wonderfully well but does have some foxing/discoloration and damage to frame. 12.5" x 16.5" with frame. NATHANIEL CURRIER (1813-1888, American) and JAMES MERRITT IVES (1824-1895, American) Nathaniel Currier and James Merritt Ives founded the American printmaking firm Currier and Ives. Known for their famous and inexpensive hand painted lithographs by well-known artists, their prints became extremely popular. Currier and Ives lithographs were especially popular amongst the Victorians and their new found love of nature. Animals, and especially cats, became subjects of their prints and decorated many American homes. After the deaths of both Currier and Ives, their grandsons continued the business until 1907 when the firm closed due to the public’s lack of interest in lithographs due to improvements in photoengraving and offset printing.