Female bathers, no. 3 - Public domain graphic arts, Library of Congress

Alois Senefelder, the inventor of lithography, introduced the subject of colored lithography in 1818. Printers in other countries, such as France and England, were also started producing color prints. The first American chromolithograph—a portrait of Reverend F. W. P. Greenwood—was created by William Sharp in 1840. Chromolithographs became so popular in American culture that the era has been labeled as "chromo civilization". During the Victorian times, chromolithographs populated children's and fine arts publications, as well as advertising art, in trade cards, labels, and posters. They were also used for advertisements, popular prints, and medical or scientific books.

Kurz and Allison was a prominent American lithographic firm that operated from 1885 to 1893. The firm specialised in producing large prints of historical events, particularly Civil War battles. The company was founded by Louis Kurz and Alexander Allison, both of whom had extensive experience in the printing industry. Their prints were very popular in the late 19th century, and many are now considered valuable collectors' items. The company went out of business in 1893 due to financial difficulties, but its legacy lives on through the many prints it produced.