Fireworks crack, flags wave, and the whole city feels lit from within. Currier & Ives pull out all the stops: cannon blasts, rooftop parties, and a sky so full of color it barely holds together. It’s 1876 and the mood is: louder, brighter, prouder. A full-blown birthday bash for a very young country.

Currently held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, and part of ArdorU’s Fireworks collection.