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Whaler off the Vineyard--Outward Bound
From the collection of Smithsonian American Art Museum. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
William Bradford is best known for his paintings of the Arctic, but his early work focused on the ships of New England. He grew up near New Bedford, Massachusetts, which was home to a successful whaling industry. In this image, he painted a large whaling ship with a smaller schooner sailing in the foreground, and the cliffs of Gay Head, Martha's Vineyard, in the background. This area was the standard route for whalers entering and leaving the port of New Bedford. Bradford emphasized the smallest details in this sweeping seascape, from the ripples in the sails to the suspenders on the sailors.
Smithsonian American Art Museum’s own descriptionSubjects
Credit lineWhaler off the Vineyard--Outward Bound. 1859. William Bradford, born Fairhaven, MA 1823-died New York City 1892. Smithsonian American Art Museum, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase. CC0.
