MARINE ART
Before the Bridge by Alfred C. Harrison, Jr.
"San Francisco Bay" by William A. Coulter (1849-1936), 26 x 44 inches, signed and dated 1884, oil on canvas, private collection.
Coulter's "San Francisco Bay" ... captures the energy ofa cloudy day with dozens of boats and ships going about their business.
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efore the adve nt of the transconti nental ra il roa d in 1869, "T h e Golden Gare," as Jo hn C. Frem ont christened the entrance to San Francisco Bay, was the po rtal th ro ugh wh ich most visito rs to the W est Coas t and all comme rce passed . Its picturesque juxtapos ition of headlands, ocean , and the ro mantic sailing ships that could be seen enterin g and leaving the bay attrac ted the atten tio n of artists who had serri ed in San Francisco. Starting in the 1860s, a resident arr communi ty develo ped in San Francisco th at was sensiti ve to arr happenin gs in the Eas t. New Yo rk, Bosto n, and Phi ladelphia boasted specialists in marine painringarrisrs who executed ship po rtraits and harbor scenes with meticulous attention to illusionisric derail , enhanced by a ro mantic treatment of light and atmosph ere. By rhe mid-1870s, two painters had risen to prominence in San Francisco: Gideo n Jacques D enn y (183 0-1 886) and W illi a m A. Co ulter (1849-1 936). T heir mos t acco mplished paintings we re wo rks li ke Coulrer's "Sa n Francisco Bay," which captures the
SEA HISTORY 95, WINTER 2000- 0 I