Fish Stories

Early Images of American Game Fish

Game Fishes of the United States, one of the largest and most spectacular of American sporting books, was printed in 1879–80 at the zenith of late 19th-century American chromolithography. The work, which is included in the Crystal Bridges Library collection, features 20 gorgeous colour plates based on the original watercolour paintings by well-known sporting artist Samuel Kilbourne, with text written by ichthyologist George Brown Goode, head of the fish research programs of the US Fish Commission and the Smithsonian. The colour plates capture a number of distinctly American fishes in their natural surroundings, including the striped bass, sheepshead, bluefish, weakfish, red snapper, pompano, and brook trout. Each fish’s shimmering colors and delicate scales are amazingly vivid. This classic collection elegantly conveys the drama of sport fishing and highlights the exploration and celebration of nature in American art – one of the major themes in Crystal Bridges’ permanent collection.

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