Kirlafy Bro's "Michael Strogoff"
date: label: Date made
content: n.d.
label: date made
content: 1878-1879
name: label: maker
content: Thomas, Henry Atwell
label: maker
content: Kendrick
notes: label: Description
content: This colored print depicts a battlefield covered with dead and dying people. A burnt log cabin stands on the left and a Russian Orthodox church with onion domes (likely St. Basil’s Cathedral) appears in the background on the right. The drama <i> Michael Strogoff </i> was based on a novel by Jules Verne about a courier for the Russian Tsar Alexander II. It follows his daring adventures through Siberia, which was under invasion by the Tartars, as he tries to stop the rebellion.
label: Description
content: The Kiralfy Brothers, Imre (ca 1845-1919) and Bolossy (ca 1848 -1932), were dancers, directors, and producers of burlesque and variety shows. The Kiralfys were born in Budapest, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and began dancing onstage as children. Although their family name was Konigsbaum, they performed as the Kiralfy brothers to conceal their father's involvement in revolutionary politics. They studied dance at the Opera Ballet in Paris and toured with shows in Europe before making their American debut in George L. Fox's production of <i> Hiccory Diccory Dock </i> in 1869. Inspired by the lavish spectacles they'd seen in Paris, they also began producing shows, which were famous for their large casts, extravagant sets, and bold special effects. A production called <i>The Deluge</i> featured an actual rainfall on stage, while <i> Around the World in Eighty Days</i> included a live elephant and a helium balloon operated by wires. They were also among the early showmen to use electric lighting for their acts, and their 1883 show <i> Excelsior </i> was staged under the direction of Thomas Edison. Their works often featured stories and settings from around the world. The Kiralfys dissolved their partnership in 1887 but continued to stage large scale shows on their own. Imre Kirafly moved to England where he created replicas of historic events like Chicago’s 1893 World’s Columbian Exhibition. Bolossy’s shows included <i> Carnival in Venice</i>, a Portland, Oregon production which featured a lake connected to a canal.
label: Description
content: This chromolithograph was produced by Henry Atwell Thomas and C. Kendrick. Henry Atwell Thomas (1834-1904) was an artist, portrait painter, and lithographer especially well known for his theatrical portraits. His New York firm was called H. A. Thomas Lith. Studio until 1887, when it became H. A. Thomas & Wylie Lithographic (sometimes cited as Lithography or Lithographing) Company. No information available about C. Kendrick other than he appears to have partnered with Thomas on numerous print projects in 1878 and 1879.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: New York, New York City
topic: label: Subject
content: Horses
label: Subject
content: Architecture
label: Subject
content: Theater
setName: label: See more items in
content: Home and Community Life: Domestic Life
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content: Advertising
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content: Art
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content: Peters Prints
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content: Domestic Furnishings
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Harry T. Peters "America on Stone" Lithography Collection
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: DL.60.3034
label: catalog number
content: 60.3034
label: accession number
content: 228146
objectType: label: Object Name
content: chromolithograph
label: Object Type
content: Chromolithograph
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: paper (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: ink (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: image: 19 3/4 in x 28 1/2 in; 50.165 cm x 72.39 cm