Snapshots of the Past

The prodigal son wasting his substance – Antique Print

The prodigal son wasting his substance, New York : Published by N. Currier, [between 1835 and 1856] — antique lithograph
The prodigal son wasting his substance, New York : Published by N. Currier, [between 1835 and 1856]. Antique lithograph from the Historic Print Archive collection.

(Originally scanned by the Library of Congress. Each image is professionally and digitally cleaned of artifacts such as color bars and extra borders prior to printing.)

Description

The prodigal son wasting his substance comes to life in this antique lithograph, reproduced from the original with every detail intact. It comes from the collections of the Library of Congress, scanned from the original and carefully restored.

Framed, it is ready for the wall; unframed, it is ready for the frame you choose. It brings character to any room and makes a memorable gift. Free shipping in the lower 48 states. Snapshots of the Past has been bringing history to the wall since 2001, for tens of thousands of customers worldwide.

The prodigal son wasting his substance

Order a print

Secure checkout · SSL encryptedPowered by Stripe and PayPal

Free shipping in the lower 48 states. The checkout page shows the picture, size and price before you pay.

Sign up for our newsletter

Sent securely. No purchase needed. Unsubscribe anytime.

Ask about licensing or this print

The parable of the prodigal son, told in Luke 15, was a favorite subject for American printmakers, and this lithograph captures the younger son's ruin, when his inheritance is spent on reckless living. Nathaniel Currier issued it under his own name in New York, probably before his partnership with James Merritt Ives began in 1857. Hand-coloring, applied by workers to each sheet, gave such inexpensive prints a warmth that suited the moral lessons they carried into family parlors.

Created / publishedNew York : Published by N. Currier, [between 1835 and 1856]
Medium1 print : lithograph, hand-colored.
GenreLithographs Hand-colored 1830-1860.
NotesCurrier & Ives : a catalogue raisonné / compiled by Gale Research. Detroit, MI : Gale Research, c1983, no. 5369
SourceLibrary of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division
Original scan1,098 × 1,536 px · prints to 4 × 5 in at 300 dpi
ReferenceAMZ-SOTP-HPA-109948

More from the Historic Print Archive collection

Snapshots of the Past helps heritage brands, museums, historians and storytellers tell stories with history: historic prints, image licensing and historical storytelling drawn from more than 25 years of research and curation.

Related pictures

Son of temperanceSon of temperanceRiley Scott who is about to try out his Mechanical BombsightRiley Scott who is about to try out his Mechanical BombsightAndrew Jackson in his last days / engraved by T. Doney, N.Y.Andrew Jackson in his last days / engraved by T. Doney, N.Y.Death of Honl. Henry Clay: My son i am going-sit by me""Death of Honl. Henry Clay: My son i am going-sit by me""The aged man in his wynter garmentThe aged man in his wynter garment[General Scott giving orders to his aides for the advance of the Grand Army][General Scott giving orders to his aides for the advance of the Grand Army]