Art of the Club

Reception, Main Entry Hallway, Rotunda, East Lawn Entry, Spinnaker Addition

By Larry Stephenson, M.D.

Coming through the Main Entry to the GPYC, the first painting one is likely to see hangs behind the reception desk: “The Passenger Steamer City of Cleveland”(1) painted in 1886 by Seth Arca Whipple (1866-1901).Whipple was a local artist who was born in New Baltimore, MI, and lived in Detroit.

A second Whipple painting, “Passenger Steamer Northwest” (2) hangs just beyond the reception area, on the same side. The Northwest was built in Manitowoc, Wisconsin and launched in 1867. This painting was completed in 1883 and both are on loan from the Detroit Historical Society collection.

Continuing along that north wall, one finds the iconic painting “The Roaring Forties”(3), a treasure of the GPYC. Donated in 1965 by Past Commodore Mervyn Gaskin, Canadian artist Jack Gray depicts a sailing ship circa the 1880s battling heavy seas in an area off the southwest coast of South America known as the Roaring Forties. Here, southwesterly winds around latitude 40 degrees S are known to sailors as among the most treacherous in the world. The single painting on the south wall of the entry hall is yet another Whipple, “Steamer State of Michigan” (4), an oil on canvas painted in 1893. It is also on loan from the Detroit Historical Society.

1 2

3

4

The Rotunda contains three sculptures, the most prominent of which is “The Three Muses”. This water fountain features three water nymphs, or “muses” as they were known in Greek mythology, who were meant by artist Wheeler Williams to represent inspiration, science and the arts. Two smaller sculptures representing the east and west winds, also from Greek mythology, flank the stairway to the Ballroom. Wheeler accepted the commission for these sculptures from GPYC member Charles Ayres, who intended his donation to the Club to be in place at the opening of the Clubhouse on July 4, 1929, when he would be serving as Rear Commodore. Unfortunately, they were not finished until several months later, and by the time they were installed the Great Depression had already begun. The East Lawn Entry contains three paintings, all on loan from the Detroit Historical Society and hanging on the north wall. From left to right, the first is by F. Muller entitled “The Battleship USS Michigan

5

6

1908”(5). The ship was launched in that year and served in the Atlantic Ocean during World War I. The identity of the artist of the second painting, “Steamship SS Chicora”(6), is somewhat unclear. The signature appears to be Henry Simpson, but research done by the DHS suggests Detroit native Walter Simpson is most likely the artist. The Chicora was built by the Detroit Dry Dock Company and launched in 1892 to carry both passengers and freight on the Great Lakes. The painting depicts the Chicora passing through the Soo Locks at Sault Ste. Marie. Note the logs on the sides of this early version of the locks.

The final painting is “The CF Bielman”(7), a Great Lakes freighter built in West Bay City, Michigan, launched in 1892. Artist Howard Sprague painted her in 1893. During his short career, Sprague lived in both Detroit and Cleveland before tragically succumbing to tuberculosis in 1899 at age 28. As of August 2022, there is a new addition to the art in the Spinnaker. Hanging on the wall between the fireplace and the bar is a painting entitled “5:30 P.M. Departure” depicting the steamer Greater Detroit (8) backing away from a dock in the Detroit River with the Ambassador Bridge in the background. The ship was launched in 1923 with a passenger capacity of 2,127, a crew of 300 and an automobile capacity of 103, and operated between Detroit and Buffalo, New York. At its launch, Greater Detroit, along with sister ship Greater Buffalo, were the most costly sidewheel steamships in the world, and carried more passengers than many ocean-going steamers of their day. Artist Charles Stobar is listed in 1930s Detroit city directories as a model maker and sculptor for General Motors. This painting is on loan from the Detroit Historical Society.