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.

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. by Currier & Ives

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

RiversBoats

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...

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