Camp Meeting by Kelloggs & Comstock

This colored print depicts a man preaching to a large group of men and women, who are seated separately by gender on benches. In the background and on the side are tents with women seated at their openings. Eight men are seated on the platform behind the preacher. A few other people are strolling around. The tents are labeled with initials, with the exception of one that says "4 St". Two Biblical verses (Ezekiel 34:25 and Isaiah 35:1) are printed below the image on each side of the title, which celebrate the purity and sanctity of nature. Camp meetings were a popular form of Protestant worship throughout the 19th century. Lasting several days, these open-air events often involved ecstatic communal prayer. Hundreds and even thousands came from miles around for preaching and worship, and to enjoy the festival-like atmosphere.

This print was produced by the lithographic firm of Kelloggs & Comstock in Hartford, Connecticut. In 1848, John Chenevard Comstock (1818-1862) formed a partnership with E.B. and E.C. Kellogg. In 1850, Edmund Burke Kellogg (1809-1872) left the firm, leaving his brother Elijah Chapman Kellogg (1811-1881) and J.C. Comstock to run the lithography firm as Kellogg and Comstock. The short-lived partnership disbanded in 1851. It was not until 1855 that Edmund Burke Kellogg rejoined his brother E.C. Kellogg and continued the successful operation of the family’s lithography firm. The print was distributed by D. Needham of New York City.

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