Kurz and Allison — Battle of Fredericksburg

Kurz & Allison — Battle of Fredericksburg

Date: 1888 (copyrighted 1888 by Kurz & Allison, Art Publishers, Chicago)
Medium: Multi-stone chromolithograph on heavy wove paper
Image Size: 20 7/8 x 14 3/4 in.
Sheet Size: 24 x 18 1/2 in.
Publisher: Kurz & Allison, 76 & 78 Wabash Ave., Chicago, U.S.A.

Description:
This chromolithograph depicts the December 13, 1862 engagement at Fredericksburg, Virginia. The composition is structured to emphasize depth and elevation, with layered troop formations advancing across a rising field toward fortified positions. The foreground is tightly rendered, while mid- and background passages recede through carefully modulated tonal shifts.

Color construction is achieved through multiple lithographic stone impressions, visible in the modeling of uniforms, terrain, and smoke effects. Under magnification, the surface reveals lithographic crayon texture and overlapping pigment passes rather than mechanical halftone screening. The pigment is absorbed into the heavy wove paper, producing a matte, fiber-integrated surface characteristic of late 19th-century chromolithography.

The print reflects Kurz & Allison’s established visual approach:

dramatic panoramic staging
densely layered figure groupings
careful multi-stone color registration
industrial-scale historical imagery executed with painterly surface depth

Originally issued as part of the late 19th-century bound portfolio of Civil War battle scenes.

Provenance:
Original bound portfolio (1880s–1890s) → Velvet Foundation for the Arts (VLAF)