the
UARTERDECK
Vol. 18 No. 1
Fall 1991
A review and newsletter from the Columbia River Maritime Museum at 1792 Marine Drive in Astoria, Oregon
Mixed-media drawing of the ship Columbia Rediviva of Boston by Hewitt Jackson. This work was done as a color study for one of a series of paintings commissioned by the late Edmund Hayes. Donor: Edmund Hayes. 1970.390.2
The Columbia Rediviva in Works of Art Visitors to the Columbia River Maritime Museum often ask whether they can purchase reproductions of certain items in the Museum's collections. Among these, no other single object receives such regular comment from visitors as Hewitt Jackson's rendering of the Columbia sounding her way across the bar on May 11, 1792. This color study on drafting vellum in the Fur Trade and Exploration gallery has long been a favorite of the artist as well. There is a liveliness of line and composition present in the work which is simply lost in a more formal presentation.
We are very pleased to announce that in response to years of inquiries about the Museum's Hewitt Jacksons, an art quality poster print of the Columbia crossing the bar will soon be available. A limited number of these prints in commemoration of the Columbia bicentennial are to be signed and numbered by the artist. Pat Longnecker, CRMM Museum Store manager, suggests that due to the frequently expressed interest in Hewitt Jackson's work, those wishing to purchase one of the signed numbers of this special edition would be well advised not to wait.
In this issue of the Quarterdeck we also examine several other images of the Columbia Rediviva, in particular those designed by Museum founder Rolf Klep for use as letterheads and logos of the Columbia River Maritime Museum. Their story is inseparably linked to the early days of the Museum itself, and to Rolf Klep's role in bringing this dream into being. In order to fully understand what transpired thirty years ago at the time of the founding of the Museum, it is further enlightening to view those events in the context of Rolf's life and work. Join us for a Klep retrospective.