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Catalog entry

inv. 54
The Ships "Winged Arrow" and "Southern Cross" in Boston Harbor
Ship "Winged Arrow" in Boston Harbor
1853
Oil on canvas
24 1/8 x 36 1/4 in. (61.3 x 92.1 cm)
Signed and dated lower right: F H Lane. 1853

Commentary

Lane is known to have painted two pictures of "Southern Cross," this painting and Clipper Ship "Southern Cross" in Boston Harbor, 1851 (inv. 253). This version was first owned by Benjamin Kent Hough (1815–76), a Gloucester and Boston merchant and landowner. He imported exotic woods for the manufacture of pianos and fine furniture, and owned the house on Gloucester's Main Street where Lane's brother-in-law lived.

This painting shows two clipper ships leaving Boston Harbor: the "Winged Arrow" on the right with its sea dragon figurehead, and the "Southern Cross" on the left with its eagle figurehead. The movement of water around the bow shows that they are underway. To the left of the ships is a small schooner, and in the distance can be seen the skyline of Boston.

Provenance (Information known to date; research ongoing.)

the Artist, Gloucester, Mass.
Benjamin K. Hough, Jr.
Elizabeth Pearce Hough and Mary Sargent Hough, Gloucester, Mass. (by descent)
Sargent Murray Gilman Hough House, Gloucester, Mass., c. 1925–67
Albert Goodhue, Marblehead, Mass.
Russell Kiernan, Salem, Mass., until 1970
Hirschl & Adler Galleries, New York, 1970
Cincinnati Art Museum, Ohio, 1971

Exhibition History

DeCordova Museum, Lincoln, Massachusetts, Fitz Hugh Lane: The First Major Exhibition, March 20–April 17, 1966., no. 36.
Traveled to: Colby College Art Museum, Waterville, Maine, 30–6, 1966.
Hirschl & Adler Galleries, New York, New York, Forty Masterworks of American Art, October 28–November 14, 1970., no. 16.
Hirschl & Adler Galleries, New York, New York, Retrospective of a Gallery: Twenty Years, November 8–December 1, 1973., no. 65.
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, Virginia, Masterpieces of American Painting from the Cincinnati Art Museum, November 19, 1991–January 5, 1992., no. 33.
Traveled to: Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Minneapolis, Minn., 2–15, 1992; Phoenix Art Museum, Phoenix, Ariz., 11–31, 1992.

Published References

Wilmerding, John. Fitz Hugh Lane, 1804–1865: American Marine Painter. Salem, MA: The Essex Institute, 1964.
The American Neptune, Pictorial Supplement VII: A Selection of Marine Paintings by Fitz Hugh Lane, 1804–1865. Salem, MA: The American Neptune, 1965., plate XIX, no. 66, Ship "Winged Arrow" in Boston Harbor. ⇒ includes text
Wilmerding, John. Fitz Hugh Lane: The First Major Exhibition. Lincoln, MA: De Cordova Museum; in association with Colby College Art Museum, 1966., no. 36. ⇒ includes text
Forty Masterworks of American Art. New York: Hirschl & Adler Galleries, 1970.
Art Quarterly 34, no. 3 (Autumn 1971).
Retrospective of a Gallery: Twenty Years. New York: Hirschl & Adler Galleries, 1973.
Cincinnati Art Museum Handbook. Cincinnati, OH: Cincinnati Art Museum, 1975.
Masterpieces from the Cincinnati Art Museum. Cincinnati, OH: Cincinnati Art Museum, 1984.
Wilson, John. Masterpieces of American Painting from the Cincinnati Art Museum. Cincinnati, OH: Cincinnati Art Museum, 1991.
The Collections of the Cincinnati Art Museum. Cincinnati, OH: Cincinnati Art Museum, 2000.
Cincinnati Art Museum. Cincinnati Art Museum Collections Highlights. London: D. Giles Ltd., 2008.

Related historical materials

Boston Locales, Businesses, & Buildings
Vessels (Specific / Named)
Vessel Types
Flags, Lighthouses, & Navigation Aids
Maritime & Other Industries & Facilities
People
Citation: "The Ships "Winged Arrow" and "Southern Cross" in Boston Harbor, 1853 (inv. 54)." Fitz Henry Lane Online. Cape Ann Museum. http://fhlanecatalog.com/catalog/entry.php?id=54 (accessed November 23, 2024).
Record last updated January 28, 2016. Please note that the information on this and all pages is periodically reviewed and subject to change.
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