Line schooner B. N. Hawkins, Capt. B Griffing [sic], was cleared yesterday by Mr. Henry Missroon for New York, with the following cargo, which we believe is the largest ever shipped in a fore-and-aft schooner from this port: 198 ½ casks of rice, 1099 bales of upland cotton, 230 hides and skins; 77 barrels of ground nuts; and 99 packages sundries.”
In 1861 the owners decided to add capacity by cutting the hull in half and lengthening it from the mid-section to a new length of 128 feet and breadth of 29 feet. Its new capacity was 396 tons. The cost of work with 45 days labor was $786.86. Ship Portraits Along with the letters and invoices in our family’s possession are two ship portraits in oil, each with a story of its own. One painting was handed down through our family. It is attributed to Joseph B. Smith, an artist whose shop in 1855–56 was at 10 Front Street in New York City. In a 23 January 1855 letter, Captain Griffin wrote: Today I have sent the painting of the Sch B. N. Hawkins on board of Sloop Fairfield The Capt said that he knew you very well and would take good care of it and deliver to you I also send the bill I hope that the painting will meet your wishes. I think that it is a perfect picture. …If there is any chance I should like to hear from you in Charleston to see how you like the picture and whether you got the money I sent.
Schooner Benjamin N. Hawkins, painted by Joseph B. Smith of New York City, for $19 in 1854. (below) Same vessel, same artist, and a clever representation of the schooner’s port and starboard sides passing each other on two whistles. The second painting I acquired after a twenty-year hunt. It has since been cleaned and the overpainting was removed. It, too, is attributed to Joseph B. Smith. The history of that painting has been traced back several generations through one family in Suffern, New York. An interesting note on the second painting is
that the sails are reefed—not common in ship portraits. The rainbow over the ship is likely not as distinguishable as it originally was. Curiously, the ship at the left in that painting is also the B. N. Hawkins, showing both port and starboard sides, creating an effect that the ship is passing itself.
While we do not have the letter that Benjamin Hawkins sent in response, Griffin wrote on 11 February 1855, “I recd yours of the 29th and was glad to hear that you were pleased with the picture.” Another correspondence details that the painting cost $19. SEA HISTORY 174, SPRING 2021 41