minuteness of detail, and the absolute truthfulness of every part of a steamboat which characterized his productions, cannot but cause wonder in these days of rapid work. His pictures were always side views, and this often made faulty perspective, yet a Bard picture will ever be held in esteem for its correctness and the beauty of drawing. "Living during the time of the days when shipbuilding at this port was the greatest of any in the country, and when myriads of beautiful river, sound and ocean craft were turned out every month, Mr. Bard with his talent, had opportunities of becoming acquainted with all the leading shipbuilders and vessel owners in the days before the [Civil War]. He knew them all, and was held in high regard by them, and shipbuilders have said that they could lay down the plans of a boat from one of his pictures, so correct were they in their proportions. Before making his drawing, Mr. Bard would measure the boat to be pictured from end to end, and not a panel, stanchion or other part of the vessel, distinguishable from the outside, was omitted; each portion was measured and drawn to scale.
"His life work is finished, and the world is richer for it. Were it not for the pictures to be found here and there—and now fast disappearing—we would not know what beautiful specimens of steam vessel architecture our forefathers were capable of turning out. No one in his time compared with James Bard in the matter of making drawings of vessels, and his name will ever be associated with the lists of artists of this country who make a speciality of painting pictures of vessels. In this art he was the father of them all." What interests us now is not the "correctness" of the Bard paintings, but their splendid perfectionist style. James Bard's ship paintings are, indeed, so closely related to mechanical drawing that it has been thought that he might have been a shipyard draftsman; he certainly visited the shipyards where the vessels he painted were constructed, and the dates of many of the paintings coincide with the year the ships were built. However, it is significant to note that he did not copy specific plans or adhere to a constant scale for his paintings. He made accurate notes for the sizes of every part of the ships to be portrayed, but he didn't hesitate to depart from these meas-
Left: Princeton by James Bard. Watercolor, gouache, pencil on paper. (Collection of Dietrich Corporation, Reading, Pennsylvania)
Left: Steamboat Utica by James(1815-1897) and John (1815-1856) Bard, New York. Gouache on paper. (Collection of The NewYork Historical Society)
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