The battle of Resaca de la Palma took place near present-day Brownsville, Texas, just days after the battle of Palo Alto at the beginning of the Mexican-American War. In the battle, Captain Charles May led a charge of United States dragoons against Mexican artillery, capturing General Rómulo Díaz de la Vega. 

Lithographer Nathaniel Currier learned the printing trade as an apprentice at the Boston firm of William and John Pendleton, the first successful lithography firm in the United States. Currier moved to New York City with John Pendleton in the early 1830s and soon established his own firm there. Currier found success producing images of current events and making them available quickly and inexpensively. James Merritt Ives joined the firm in 1852 and became a partner in 1857.