My Little White Kitties – Into Mischief
1857–71
Medium
Hand-colored lithograph
Dimensions
Image: 8 1/8 × 12 3/8 in. (20.7 × 31.5 cm) Sheet: 11 3/16 × 14 1/16 in. (28.4 × 35.7 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Adele S. Colgate, 1962
Accession Number
63.550.479
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
About this artwork
My Little White Kitties – Into Mischief by Currier & Ives, 1857–71. Created in Hand-colored lithograph, this work exemplifies the artistic practices and cultural values of its period. The piece reflects the technical skills and aesthetic sensibilities characteristic of its historical and cultural context. As part of the Drawings and Prints collection, it contributes to our understanding of artistic development and cultural expression. The work serves as both an aesthetic object and a historical ...
Art Historical Context
Currier & Ives, America’s most prolific 19th-century printmaking firm, created “My Little White Kitties – Into Mischief” between 1857 and 1871 as a hand-colored lithograph. The scene captures a playful group of white kittens tumbling amid household objects, a lighthearted subject that appealed to the growing middle-class audience eager for affordable, cheerful images to decorate their homes. Lithography allowed Currier & Ives to produce thousands of impressions quickly and inexpensively; each print was then delicately tinted by hand, giving every sheet a unique warmth. This combination of spe...