The Battles of the Civil War

Kurz & Allison Chromolithographs (1886–1891)

The Velvet Foundation for the Arts holds a curated group of original late 19th-century chromolithographs from the celebrated Civil War battle series published by Kurz & Allison of Chicago between 1886 and 1891. These monumental prints were issued as part of a bound portfolio titled Battles of the Civil War and remain among the most visually powerful examples of American chromolithography.

Produced only two decades after the war’s conclusion, these works represent one of the earliest large-scale efforts to visually memorialize the conflict for a national audience. Rather than functioning as documentary reportage, the images present panoramic, theatrical interpretations of pivotal engagements — emphasizing heroism, momentum, sacrifice, and national memory.

Each print was created using multi-stone chromolithography, a demanding process requiring numerous individual limestone plates to build layered color and tonal depth. The resulting surfaces display rich pigment saturation, matte absorption into heavy wove paper, and complex color registration characteristic of late 19th-century industrial fine printing. Under magnification, lithographic crayon textures and overlapping pigment passes are visible — distinguishing these works from later photomechanical reproductions.

Collectively, these prints form a vivid visual archive of American historical imagination in the Gilded Age. Their dramatic staging, densely layered figure groupings, and sweeping landscapes reflect the period’s appetite for grand narrative imagery — bridging fine art, popular print culture, and national myth-making.

Today, the Kurz & Allison battle series is recognized both for its historical significance and for its technical achievement in chromolithographic production. The VLAF group preserves these works as material documents of memory, printmaking innovation, and postwar American identity.