"a decided advance on the former work of that artisr." 8 An 1885 notice read: Marshall Johnson, Jr., has blocked in an important subject on a large canvas. It presents a stirring bit of history in his own life. When but a boy . .. he shipped on A. Hemenway's ship Sunbeam, .. . the ship caught fire and burned .... It was midday and the sun was shining hot, and the contrasts of the lights of the burning ship and the sun's rays were very effective. Mr. Johnson wi ll doubtless make a strong picture of this exciting subjecr. 9 In the next ten years, his reputation as an artist of note was solidified, and prestigious galleries exhibited his latest works regularly. After Johnson's work was exhibited at the National Academy's Annual Exhibition, a Transcript reviewer hit the mark: Marshall Johnson, Jr.'s Beating up the Bay deserves mention. It is a charming picture, with live water and a windy sky, with several small craft and one big ship; schooner, brig, brigantine,
tacking or veering or jibing in the strong wind. The painter knew the name of vessel and the thing she is doing, so would any sailor; but I, being unlearned in such matters, do not venture to designate the class to which the ship belongs, or the thing that she is doing; only venturing to affirm that I have seen just such a ship doing just such a thing in a windy day on Boston Bay. 10 On the centennial of the launching of USS Constitution, a photogravure from a Marshall Johnson painting was published on a large scale, and today is still a popular image reproduced on prints, cards, and other merchandise. In that scene, the las t of a British squadron of seven that had pursued the Constitution for three days is visible on the horizon . USS Constitution was one of his favorite subjects and he created various versions of her in other paintings. Johnson painted what he knew from personal experience, both from his young adulthood under square rig and throughout his life cruising in his yacht. In 1899,
Frigate USS Constitution oil on canvas, 18 x 14 inches the artist's summer plans for a cruise along the Maine coast made the papers, where it was reported that he "[would] make a number of stops along the shore, with Monhegan as a final goal." 11
Marshall Johnso n in his studio.
SEA HISTORY 126, SPRING 2009
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