1899
19 03
A Thrash to Windward 29" x 44" oil on linen
Captain C harlie Barr helms Columbia during the stormy th ird- and decisive-Am erica's C up race against Shamrock, 20 October 1899. On board is designer Nat H erreshoff (far left), syndicate head C. Olive r Iselin (in yachting wear), and his wife, H ope, the first A merican woman to sail on a C up defender. M rs. Iselin was not about to stay home on this day; a forceful personality w ith great mea ns of her own a nd a n avid sportswoman, she served as the official photographer of the campaign , just as portable cam eras were becoming all the rage. She is shown with her Ko dak No. 2 Bullet; her wo nderful photo albums capturing the action onboard Colum bia, which inspired this painting, are preserved in the archives of the Mys tic Seaport Museum. By 1901 , when the Iselins and Columbia defended again, she invited her two teenage nieces to ride along too.
The Masthead Men 29" x 44" oil on linen
M embers of the crew, high in the rigging of Shamrock III, watch Reliance cross the sta rt of the third race of the America's C up, 1903. The wiry daredevils who climbed to the top of these giant rigs to untangle lines or unfurl topsails-before safety harnesses were even considered-were paid more than their mares on deck. Ir was said of them, "their only obstacle is death ." In thi s painting I wanted to convey the vas t size of Reliance, C aptain Nat H erres hoff's las t and ultim ate C up defender, the larges t single-masted sailing yacht ever built. By cas ting cloud shadows across her sails and pinching her into rhe composition, my intention was to give the viewers, along with the high-wire crew, a birds-eye view of this enormous "temple to the wind."
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SEA HISTORY 158, SPRIN G 2017