Object Record
Images
Metadata
Title |
Bark "Camilla" Captain Reuben Thomas Off Farralone Rocks Bound into San Francisco |
Place of Origin |
California, San Francisco |
Artist or Maker |
Russell, Benjamin (1804-1885) |
Date |
1868 |
Materials |
Watercolor on Paper |
Dimension Details |
Height: 18" Width: 28" |
Description |
This watercolor depicts the bark (or barque) Camilla under full sail heading toward San Francisco. The crew is on the fore deck of the three masted ship looking toward port; rock formations that are part of the Farralone Islands are seen in the distance to the left of the vessel. "BARK CAMILLA Capt REUBEN THOMAS off FARRALONE ROCK's BOUND into SAN FRANCISCO" is printed beneath the painting, which is signed and dated on the lower right. Born into a wealthy family in New Bedford, Massachusetts, Benjamin Russell directed the family bank until it went out of business in 1841. He subsequently worked as a cooper on a whaleship that sailed to the Northwest coast of the continent, Hawaii, Tahiti, and the Marquesas. When he returned to New Bedford in his late thirties, he began to produce highly accurate drawings and watercolors of whaling vessels that were prized by those in the industry. |
Provenance |
Richard A. Bourne Co., Inc., Hyannis, Massachusetts, Important Marine Auction, August 23, 1969, Lot 352 Purchased by The Dietrich American Foundation, 1969 |
Object Name |
Watercolor |
Object ID |
7.2.587 |
Search Terms |
paintings |