Joseph Witham

Follow the Leader

Dated 1897

The strength of a great ship portrait lies with its overall striking composition blended with an attention to detail. Charles Sidney Raleigh was extremely skilled with both elements, and this is one of his finest works. An American full-rigged ship of large proportions, LUCY G. DOW is one of many ships owned by Maine interests, where the ship would be locally built and consortium owned. More Maine captains owned part of their ships than any other East Coast region, it appears through an informal survey of lists. Note the fine details of the captain and crew hard at work onboard off the coast. The numerous buildings are clustered on the peninsular stretch with a pier coming out near the lighthouse’s walkway. At the distance, ship masts...

A stalwart American ship clearing the Delaware headed for Honolulu with a load of coal, this broadside ship portrait by Alexander Charles Stuart is of the Ship GATHERER. In her maiden year of service, the Bath, Maine-built Downeaster went to New Orleans with hay, took a load of cotton from there to Liverpool, and crossed to collect the coal in Philadelphia before heading to Hawaii. She'd make 8 Cape Horn voyages, averaging about 129 days, a profitable and fast sailing Downeaster, and yet still record one of the bloodiest voyages in merchant maritime history. In this portrait, A.C. Stuart shows the large wooden vessel...

Although suggesting a yacht or boating club due to its prime waterfront location, this panoramic view by Philadelphia artist Xanthus Smith, most likely shows a US Lifesaving Service facility in one of the mid-Atlantic states. Originating in the mid-1800’s, the U.S. Lifesaving Service’s earliest buildings were strictly utilitarian, but as the Service grew, so did the size of the stations. By the 1880s, they were becoming more fashionable and usually were made up of two or three structures as shown here. The main building contained the offices and berthing area for the crew and usually featured a lookout tower on the roof. Smaller buildings housed classrooms and medical facilities. Some were built to resemble a Swiss chalet and one was even designed with a clock tower. Noted architect A. B. Bibb designed stations like this one that looked much like beach resort homes with lookout towers. The stations were usually located near the approaches to major ports and were maintained by the United States Revenue Marine (later renamed the United States Revenue Cutter...

It is subjectively proven that artistic inspiration strikes individuals in varied and unique ways. In this single painting, an appreciative audience may examine how the early luminou...

Attributed to Hin Qua (Chinese, 19th Century) Signed in pencil to the verso Marine Arts Company attribution label to verso Stamp referring to restoration treatment by Gustav D. Kli...

Duncan McFarlane. This excellent ship portraitist began his life's work in Liverpool. It is believed that he later sailed to America and was employe...

American, b. 1949 In his more than three decades as an artist, Nicholas Berger (b. 1949) has created an outstanding body of work that continues to evolve and excite viewers. Best known for his industrial, waterfront scenes of New York between 1930-1970, Berger effortlessly captures a period when the technology and landscape of the city was rapidly changing. Although he paints scenes of a bygone era, Berger draws inspiration from the waterfronts near his home in New York’s Hudson River Highlands as well as historical sources in museums. Berger holds BFA and MFA degrees from Alfred University. Earlier in his career, the artist painted representational landscapes rendered in watercolor, a medium in which he achieved great success, sharing a sellout two-person show in Tokyo with Andrew Wyeth. In the mid-2000s, Berger transitioned to his signature industrial scenes of the city, employing oil on panel in a painterly manner influenced by the Hudson River and Brandywine schools...

Egide Linnig (1821–1860) was a Belgian painter known for his landscape and genre paintings. He was born in Antwerp, Belgium, and studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp....