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Marine Art:
Non-paint Media |
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Textiles and Needlework
Marine art includes more than paintings. In the 19th century, vessels were often the subject of textile art. Sailors and captains, as well as their wives and daughters, stitched pictures of ships using silk or wool. Woolen pictures were common in England, and were called woolies. This one shows a British Man-of-War.
William Whorf, a retired seaman, took up needlepoint and stitched over one hundred pieces with maritime subjects. In addition to skillful workmanship and design, Whorf's pictures present many facts about ships and their history. This one shows the Manuel Llaguno (below left).
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Carvings
Scrimshaw traditionally refers to intricate carvings on whales' teeth. It was made by sailors on whale ships. Maine had few whaling vessels, but the museum does have a collection of scrimshaw put together by Mainers. This piece (below, right) is signed by a sailor from Rockland, Maine.
Decorative Painting
Sometimes artists painted on surfaces other than canvases; for example, George Eugene Jones painted a sea chest with an image of his ship, the Challenger, inside (above).
Marine themes were often painted on furniture or other household items. For example, this image (below, left) of a reverse painting on glass is at the top of a mirror. It shows a brig with the American flag.
Woodcarving
Ship figureheads are well-known examples of marine woodcarving. In ancient times figureheads were placed on ships for protection against evil spirits. By the 19th century they were purely decorative.
Billetheads are used like figureheads but are abstract designs rather than figures. Friendship sloops traditionally have trail boards and a small eagle figure, while steamboats carried eagles on their pilot houses.
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