November 22 - Lot 617 - Boyd Cruise

Neal Auction

Louisiana Purchase Auction™ November 21, 22, & 23

“Fire Insurance Patrol, 732 Camp Street,”

by Alvyk “Boyd” Cruise Lot 617 • November 22, 2014

Lot 617 Saturday, November 22, 2014

Alvyk “Boyd” Cruise (Mississippi/New Orleans, 1909-1988), “Fire Insurance Patrol, 732 Camp Street,” watercolor on board, signed lower right, exihibition label, image 18 x 15 in., board 23 x 20 in, framed. Provenance: Acquired from the artist, thence by descent in Shreveport, LA family. Exhibited: Boyd Cruise, The Historic New Orleans Collection, 1976. [$15,000/$25,000] In “Fire Insurance Patrol, 732 Camp Street,” Boyd Cruise, captures a moment when a fire patrol protected the city from ruin. Until the late 19th century, the citizens of New Orleans relied upon volunteer fireman, often civic and business leaders in the city (Fig. 2), for the protection of the numerous historic properties and valuables. In its history, New Orleans endured two “Great” fires: one in 1788, which destroyed 856 structures and a second in1794, which destroyed 212 structures. As the population of New Orleans and the need for housing increased, properties became closer together and the risk of a fire engrossing a block or area of the city grew exponentially. To protect the historic integrity of the city, civic leaders and the representatives of insurance companies devised a system whereas fireman would be compensated for their services; thus, establishing the foundation for what would become the New Orleans Fire Department.

A counterpart to the fire department, the fire insurance patrol would enter buildings after the firemen to protect goods and assets from water damage and thievery; they were especially concerned with protecting major industrial interests in the city. In this unique and exciting work offered as Lot 617 in Neal Auction Company’s forthcoming Louisiana Purchase Auction™, the artist Boyd Cruise perfectly captures the moment of action, as the patrolmen erupt from the building, mounted or on foot, to rush to the scene of a fire.

Fig. 2. An unidentified volunteer fireman photographed in his regalia.

Neal Auction Company • www.nealauction.com

Lot 617 Saturday, November 22, 2014 Although he was born in Mississippi and raised in Lake Charles, LA, Boyd Cruise spent most of his adult life in New Orleans. He moved to the city in 1928 upon receiving a scholarship to the Arts and Crafts Club of New Orleans, where he studied under famed New Orleans artists such as Weeks Hall and Knute Heldner. During his career, Cruise worked with architect Richard Koch on a WPA initiative to document examples of American architecture, beginning his lifelong interest in historic preservation and the French Quarter. The artist concentrated on endangered buildings (Fig. 3), spending hours researching original façades that had been altered or destroyed and eventually creating works such as “Fire Insurance Patrol, 732 Camp Street.”

In the early-1950s, General L. Kemper and Leila Williams appointed Cruise cataloguer and curator of their art collection, which would eventually become the foundation for The Historic New Orleans Collection (Fig. 4), the premier museum, research center, and publisher on historic preservation and culture of New Orleans and the Gulf South. Cruise served as the collection’s first director until 1974 and director emeritus until his death in 1988.

Fig. 3: Boyd Cruise (American/Louisiana, 1909-1988), “Coming Jack Lamp: Demolished Building,” watercolor, Provenance: Brotherton-Farlowe Collection.

References: Capo, Lissa. “Boyd Cruise.” KnowLA Encyclopedia of Louisiana Sep. 12, 2012. www.knowla.org. Accessed October 16, 2014. Christovich, Mary Louise. Boyd Cruise. New Orleans: The Historic New Orleans Collection, 1976, pp. 2-13. O’Connor, Thomas, ed., History of Fire Department of New Orleans: from the Earliest Days to the Present Time, New Orleans, 1895.

For inquiries contact Rachel Weathers weathers@nealauction.com Claire Thriffiley claire@nealauction.com

Fig. 4: The Historic New Orleans Collection’s main location on 410 Chartres Street.

Call: 800.467.5329

Neal Auction Company • www.nealauction.com

617

617. Boyd Alvyk Cruise (Mississippi/New Orleans, 19091988), “Fire Insurance Patrol, 732 Camp Street”, 1951, watercolor on Strathmore board, signed lower right, loan label from The Historic New Orleans Collection’s 1976 exhibition “Boyd Cruise”, image 18 in. x 15 in., board 23 in. x 20 in., framed. $15000/25000 Provenance: Acquired from the artist, thence by descent in a Shreveport family.

Exhibited: Boyd Cruise, The Historic New Orleans Collection, 1976 and listed in the accompanying catalogue on p. 70.

Note: Boyd Cruise spent most of his adult life in New Orleans, although he was born in Mississippi and raised in Lake Charles, LA. He moved to the city in 1928 upon receiving a scholarship to the Arts and Crafts Club of New Orleans, where he studied under famed New Orleans artists such as Weeks Hall and Knute Heldner. He then completed his training at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and received several awards and scholarships.

Upon his return to New Orleans, Cruise worked with architect Richard Koch on a WPA initiative to document examples of American architecture, beginning his lifelong interest in historic preservation in the French Quarter. The artist

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concentrated on endangered buildings, spending hours researching original facades that had been altered or destroyed, and eventually creating works such as “Fire Insurance Patrol, 732 Camp Street” offered here.

An historical counterpart to the fire department, the fire insurance patrol would enter buildings after the firemen to protect goods and assets from water damage and thievery; they were especially concerned with protecting major industrial interests in the city. In this unique and exciting work offered here, Cruise perfectly captures the moment of action, as the patrolmen erupt from the building, mounted or on foot, to rush to the scene of a fire. The drama of this watercolor stands out among Cruise’s similar French Quarter preservation paintings, while his meticulous attention to detail preserved the scene for future generations.

In the early 1950s, General L. Kemper and Leila Williams appointed Cruise cataloguer and curator of their art collection, which would eventually become the foundation for The Historic New Orleans Collection in 1966. Cruise served as first director until 1974 and director emeritus until his death in 1988.

References: Capo, Lissa. “Boyd Cruise.” KnowLA Encyclopedia of Louisiana Sep. 12, 2012. www.knowla. org. Accessed October 16, 2014. Christovich, Mary Louise. Boyd Cruise. New Orleans: The Historic New Orleans Collection, 1976, pp. 2-13. O’Connor, Thomas, ed., History of the Fire Department of New Orleans: from the Earliest Days to the Present Time, New Orleans, 1895.

Neal Auction Company

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