The Great Mississippi Steamboat Race–From New Orleans to St. Louis, July 1870–Between the R.E. Lee, Captain John W. Cannon and Natchez Captain Leathers–Won by the R.E. Lee, Time: 3 Days 18 Hours and 30 Minutes; Distance 1210 Miles.
1868–78
Medium
Hand-colored lithograph
Dimensions
Image: 8 1/4 × 12 9/16 in. (20.9 × 31.9 cm) Sheet: 12 1/16 × 16 3/8 in. (30.7 × 41.6 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Adele S. Colgate, 1962
Accession Number
63.550.405
Tags
Art Historical Context
This vibrant hand-colored lithograph by Currier & Ives captures of the most legendary rivalries on the Mississippi River: the1870 race between the steamboats *R.E. Lee*, captained by John W. Cannon, and the *Natchez*, under Captain Thomas P. Leathers. Printed between 1868 and 1878, it commemorates the *R.E. Lee*'s triumphant victory, covering 1,210 miles from New to St. Louis in three days, 18 hours, and 30 minutes. the height of the steamboat era, such races thrilled crowds along the riverbanks, symbolizing American innovation, speed, and the romantic allure of paddlewheelers before railroads...