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Cowan's
Corner
Navigating The Stormy Seas of Maritime Art Collecting
By Wes Cowan
and Joe Moran
The greatest expansion of maritime trade, and perhaps the greatest output of
steam and sailing ships, occurred between 1850 and 1920. Coincidentally, this
period is often referred to as the "Golden Age of Ship Portraiture."
The
Civil War (1861-1865) was the first American war that used vessels driven by
steam instead of sailing ships. Few noteworthy examples of Civil War naval art
are known because steamships did not inspire artists as sailing ships had. James
Hamilton (1819-1878) was one of the few artists inspired by steamships. He is
known for his painting of the Naval Engagement Between the Monitor and the
Merrimac.
The end of the "age of sail" had a wide effect on maritime economy
as well as maritime artists. James E. Buttersworth (1817-1894) was a highly
regarded maritime painter that switched from views of full-masted sailing ships
to yachting subjects. He famously portrayed scenes of the America's Cup
competition, which began in 1851.
Other painters chose to paint the growing
number of steamships. Critics consider three painters to be the best in
steamship maritime art.
James Bard (1815-1897) was one of the first to paint
early steamships. In the 1830s and 1840s, he worked with his twin brother, John
Bard, who was also a maritime artist at the time. In 1849, James went out on his
own and became noted for his steamship scenes in lower Manhattan and along the
Hudson River.
Antonio Jacobsen (1850-1921) was born in Denmark and
immigrated to New York in 1871. He painted primarily steamship scenes on the
Hudson River and the New York harbor. It is estimated that 70% of his 4,000
paintings depict steamships. Some critics claim that his sea and sky backgrounds
are monotonous and dull, but most consider his portrayal of the steamships
themselves among the best.
Reuben Chappell (1870-1940) was an English
painter who specialized in both steamships and sailing vessels. His paintings of
steamships are almost always shown in broadside with the vessel slightly tilting
towards the viewer. This gives a glimpse of the detail on the deck.
Due to
the relative scarcity of steamship paintings of the period, they have become
highly collectible. Paintings and prints of steamships can be acquired more
reasonably than comparable pictures of sailing ships. A collector who wishes to
acquire contemporary nautical paintings should look into the American Society of
Marine Artists' annual exhibition. There are also several specialty nautical
magazines available that feature articles on maritime
painters.
 About the author: Wes Cowan is founder and owner of Cowan's Auctions, Inc. in Cincinnati, Ohio. An
internationally recognized expert in historic Americana, Wes stars in the PBS television
series History Detectives and is a featured appraiser on Antiques Roadshow. He can be
reached via email at info@cowans.com. Article research by Joe Moran.
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