- 189
Joseph B. Smith and Son, circa 1859
Estimate
30,000 - 50,000 USD
bidding is closed
Description
- Joseph B. Smith and Son, circa 1859
- The Okolona
- Oil on canvas
- 26 by 36 in.
The house represented by the white flag with simple blue cross, on the mizzen mast, is unidentified. The records consulted list several possible names, using the same flag. None are apposite.
Whereas the painting is undated, evidence here suggests that the portrait was painted in 1859, her launch date, or on one of her visits to New York shortly thereafter.
Whereas the painting is unsigned, there is sufficient evidence, both on the painting itself and from research on other comparable Smith paintings, to conclude that the painting is by the hands of Joseph B. & William S. Smith, his son.
It can be said that the Smiths signed their paintings in three ways. First, by painting a customary signature in the lower right hand corner of the work; or second, by inserting their business card behind the wooden stretcher, and in all cases by painting the American flag in uniquely, replicated detail.
It is possible that lacking a painted signature, for unknown reasons, the Smiths always inserted their business card. Its loss could almost be presumed over the span of 150 years. There are examples with four surviving corner nails on the stretcher, where, we can presume, a business card had once been affixed.
The basis of this conclusion that Okolona is indeed by the Smiths is outlined in greater detail in my article "Joseph B. Smith & Son, Marine Artists and Their American Flag", Maine Antiques Digest, March, 2001.
The Smiths have a well-deserved reputation for accuracy and a graceful, personal style, fully expressed in Okolona's portrait; all in a generous size, as well.
There is no explanation for the schooner in the background left. The vignette does suggest that she is emerging from fog. In such cases, and before the sun has fully penetrated, all color does seem to vanish. Evidently, the Smiths were sensitive to the play of shadow as light seems to pass by the sheltered hull of Okolona.
With their distinctive talents the Smiths thrived in the City of Brooklyn's port, even among a pantheon of exceptional American marine artists competing for commissions. Neighbors and colleagues included James Buttersworth, Conrad Freitag, Nathaniel Currier, Frances Flora Bond Palmer and Charles Parsons.
The father and son partnership broke up with the coming of the Civil War, but not before leaving an invaluable artistic legacy.
Whereas the painting is undated, evidence here suggests that the portrait was painted in 1859, her launch date, or on one of her visits to New York shortly thereafter.
Whereas the painting is unsigned, there is sufficient evidence, both on the painting itself and from research on other comparable Smith paintings, to conclude that the painting is by the hands of Joseph B. & William S. Smith, his son.
It can be said that the Smiths signed their paintings in three ways. First, by painting a customary signature in the lower right hand corner of the work; or second, by inserting their business card behind the wooden stretcher, and in all cases by painting the American flag in uniquely, replicated detail.
It is possible that lacking a painted signature, for unknown reasons, the Smiths always inserted their business card. Its loss could almost be presumed over the span of 150 years. There are examples with four surviving corner nails on the stretcher, where, we can presume, a business card had once been affixed.
The basis of this conclusion that Okolona is indeed by the Smiths is outlined in greater detail in my article "Joseph B. Smith & Son, Marine Artists and Their American Flag", Maine Antiques Digest, March, 2001.
The Smiths have a well-deserved reputation for accuracy and a graceful, personal style, fully expressed in Okolona's portrait; all in a generous size, as well.
There is no explanation for the schooner in the background left. The vignette does suggest that she is emerging from fog. In such cases, and before the sun has fully penetrated, all color does seem to vanish. Evidently, the Smiths were sensitive to the play of shadow as light seems to pass by the sheltered hull of Okolona.
With their distinctive talents the Smiths thrived in the City of Brooklyn's port, even among a pantheon of exceptional American marine artists competing for commissions. Neighbors and colleagues included James Buttersworth, Conrad Freitag, Nathaniel Currier, Frances Flora Bond Palmer and Charles Parsons.
The father and son partnership broke up with the coming of the Civil War, but not before leaving an invaluable artistic legacy.
Condition
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.
Catalogue Note
Perhaps the schooner's history can best begin with her naming. There once was a Chickasaw Indian brave, remarkable for his help to newly arrived settlers. His name was Oka-Laua, a word meaning "clear, calm, still, limpid water." His name, now anglicized, defines a number of American towns and villages, mostly in the South. Its poetic character fittingly defined the subject schooner. And it was one Burr Knapp, the owner, who named her.
Burr Knapp (1827-1881) identified himself for the U.S. Census taker in 1860 as a "sea captain", but he seems to have been more than that. He did own or had an interest in a number of schooners, Leontine (1832), Marietta Burr (1843-1850--named for his wife), Pearl (1852), Moonlight (1885), and a sloop Matilda, as well. Then Okolona was built in Bridgeport by J.H. Moore in 1859. She was a trim 146'9" long with a 32' beam.
Bridgeport had a reputation for the building of tern schooners. The term "tern" schooner applies, to a schooner with more than two masts.
Burr Knapp was not only a sea captain but a man of means and good works. He gave property to the First Presbyterian Church, and with P.T. Barnum (The circus Barnum) for Bridgeport's Seaside Park. Still there. He owned the Hatch Lumberyard and Steam Planning mill until 1872. He was on the board of the City Savings Bank.
Okolona was but an element in his life, engaging in the coasting trade, hauling lumber and cotton.
There is evidence, finally, that Okolona served the North in the Civil war, guarding ammunition at Algiers, New Orleans, in September 1863. She was observed at Baltimore in January, 1864. Her life, if any, thereafter, is unknown.
A.J. Peluso, Jr.
Burr Knapp (1827-1881) identified himself for the U.S. Census taker in 1860 as a "sea captain", but he seems to have been more than that. He did own or had an interest in a number of schooners, Leontine (1832), Marietta Burr (1843-1850--named for his wife), Pearl (1852), Moonlight (1885), and a sloop Matilda, as well. Then Okolona was built in Bridgeport by J.H. Moore in 1859. She was a trim 146'9" long with a 32' beam.
Bridgeport had a reputation for the building of tern schooners. The term "tern" schooner applies, to a schooner with more than two masts.
Burr Knapp was not only a sea captain but a man of means and good works. He gave property to the First Presbyterian Church, and with P.T. Barnum (The circus Barnum) for Bridgeport's Seaside Park. Still there. He owned the Hatch Lumberyard and Steam Planning mill until 1872. He was on the board of the City Savings Bank.
Okolona was but an element in his life, engaging in the coasting trade, hauling lumber and cotton.
There is evidence, finally, that Okolona served the North in the Civil war, guarding ammunition at Algiers, New Orleans, in September 1863. She was observed at Baltimore in January, 1864. Her life, if any, thereafter, is unknown.
A.J. Peluso, Jr.