"The Sea and Coastal America in the White House Collection" by Lydia Tederick by White House Historical Association

The following is a digitized version of a selected article from White House History Quarterly, Issue 71, originally released in print form in 2023. Single print copies of the full issue can be purchased online at Shop.WhiteHouseHistory.org No part of this book may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. All photographs contained in this journal unless otherwise noted are copyrighted by the White House Historical Association and may not be reproduced without permission. Requests for reprint permissions should be directed to rights@whha.org. Contact books@whha.org for more information. © 2023 White House Historical Association. All rights reserved under international copyright conventions.

The The Sea Sea and and THE Coastal Coastal SEA America America IN IN THE in THE theWHITE WHITE White House HOUSE HOUSE Fine Fine Art Art Collection Collection

B R U C E W H I T E F O R T H E W H I T E H O U S E H I S T O R I C A L A S S O C I AT I O N B R U C E W H I T E F O R T H E W H I T E H O U S E H I S T O R I C A L A S S O C I AT I O N B R U C E W H I T E F O R T H E W H I T E H O U S E H I S T O R I C A L A S S O C I AT I O N

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in in1992, 1992,the thecommittee committeefor forthe thepreservation preservationof ofthe thewhite whitehouse, house,aapresidentially presidentially appointed appointedadvisory advisorygroup, group,approved approved“The “TheWhite WhiteHouse HouseCollections CollectionsPolicy Policyand andProcedures.” Procedures.” Although Althoughmany manyofofthe theguidelines guidelineshad hadbeen beenestablished establishedand andgenerally generallyfollowed followedsince sincethe theKennedy Kennedy administration, administration,this thispolicy policyformalized formalizedcollecting collectinggoals goalsand andselection selectioncriteria criterianecessary necessaryfor foran an object objecttotobe beacquired acquiredfor forthe theWhite WhiteHouse HouseCollection. Collection.“Superior “Superiorexamples examplesofofAmerican Americanpaintpaintings, ings,sculpture, sculpture,prints, prints,drawings, drawings,and andwatercolors watercolorsthat thatportray portraythe thelife, life,the thetimes, times,the thebeauty beautyand and wonders wondersofofour ourcountry, country,our ourcultural culturalheritage, heritage,and andthe theindividuals individualswho whohave haveguided guidedthe thedestiny destiny ofofour ournation” nation”would wouldbe besought soughtfor forthe thecollection. collection.1 1Artwork Artworkdepicting depictingour ourgeographic geographicwonders wonders would wouldalso alsoinclude includeseascapes seascapesand andcoastal coastalviews viewsofofthe theUnited UnitedStates. States. Prior Priortotothe the1960s, 1960s,the theWhite WhiteHouse HouseCollection Collectionhad hadonly onlyaafew fewexamples examplesofofthis thisgenre, genre,notanotably blyaaNew NewYork YorkHarbor Harborscene scenepainted paintedduring duringthe theearly earlytwentieth twentiethcentury. century.Artwork Artworkacquired acquired since since1962 1962now nowincludes includespure pureseascapes seascapesasaswell wellasasharbor harborand andbeach beachscenes, scenes,some someby bynoted noted American Americanartists artists artistsfrom from fromthe thenineteenth nineteenthand and andtwentieth twentieth twentieth centuries, centuries, centuries, i.e. including including Fitz Henry Fitz Fitz Lane, Henry Henry Winslow Lane, Lane, Winslow Winslow Homer, Thomas Homer, Homer,Thomas Moran, ThomasJohn Moran, Moran, Twachtman, John JohnTwachtman, Twachtman, and Henry and and Ossawa Henry HenryTanner, Ossawa Ossawaas Tanner, Tanner, well as asas by well well lesser asas by known bylesser lesserpainters known knownpainters such painters as such Lillie suchas May asLillie Lillie Nicholson. May MayNicholson. Nicholson. Forms of Forms Forms recreation ofofrecreation recreation and commerce and andcommerce commerce are porare are trayed portrayed portrayed in some inin views. some someviews. Others views. Others document Othersdocument document historichistoric and historic natural and andfeatures natural naturalfeatures unique featuresto unique unique our country’s totoour our country’s coastal country’s areas. coastal coastalareas. areas. While Whileviews viewsofofthe thenortheastern northeasternstates statesand andcentral centralCalifornia Californiaare arewell wellrepresented representedininthe the White WhiteHouse, House,depictions depictionsofofsouthern southernand andnorthwestern northwesternareas areasofofthe thecountry countryare arenot. not.Future Future acquisitions acquisitionsmay maystrive strivetotoinclude includework workby byaamore morediverse diverseand andcontemporary contemporarygroup groupofofartists artists and andtotodocument documentthe thesouthern southernshores, shores,the theGulf GulfCoast Coastregion, region,and andthe therugged ruggedshorelines shorelinesofof Oregon Oregonand andWashington, Washington,asaswell wellasasthe thecoastline coastlineofofour ouroutermost outermoststates—Alaska states—Alaskaand andHawaii. Hawaii. The Thefollowing followingisisaasampling samplingofofthe themarine marinepaintings paintingsininthe theWhite WhiteHouse HouseCollection. Collection.

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71 71 71

William Hahn was a prolific artist best known for genre scenes painted in California, but he was also skilled at portraiture and still-life painting. Born Carl Wilhelm Hahn in Ebersbach, Germany, he received a formal art training first at the Royal Academy of Art in Dresden and later at the Düsseldorf Academy. Hahn came to the United States in 1871 and in 1872 traveled to California with William Keith, a landscape painter he befriended in Düsseldorf. Settling in San Francisco, he established a studio and was active with the local art community. During the next several years, Hahn made many sketching trips throughout California and the Sierra Nevada range. Hahn’s scenes of everyday life in and around San Francisco include this beach scene. Typical of his major genre work, the composition shows several vignettes of individuals engaged in various recreational activities. Central to the scene is a family in a horse-drawn carriage heading toward the viewer adjacent to two children on mules moving in the

opposite direction. Against a bright, luminous sky, various bathers enjoy the water at left. Others play or relax in the sand at right. The exact location of the beach is not known. The inclusion of San Francisco with Hahn’s signature likely refers to where the painting was completed.2 In 1882, the recently married artist left for a honeymoon in Europe. Although he planned to return to San Francisco, Hahn became ill in Dresden and died there in 1887.

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A Day at the Seashore by William Hahn (1829–1887) oil on canvas, c. 1872–78, gift of the White House Historical Association, 1979.

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A Day at the Seashore

Walk to the Sea Walk to the Sea by Lillie May Nicholson (1884– 1964), oil on board, c. 1923–33, gift of Walter A. NelsonRees and James L. Coran, 1984. previous spread

Boston Harbor and Boys Crabbing are seen on display in the Blue Room of the White House, 2021.

In 1984, two small paintings of California’s coastal area were donated to the White House. Both works were painted c. 1923-33 by an accomplished artist, Lillie May Nicholson, and reflected her love of the sea, the picturesque coastline, and an interest in the fishing industry of Monterey Bay. Walk to the Sea, a colorful Impressionist rendering showing cypress trees and the brilliant blue sea, was painted near the artist’s studio-home in Pacific Grove, California.3 Born on her family’s ranch near Aromas, California in California, in Monterey Monterey County, County, Nicholson began her professional career as a schoolteacher. With an interest in art, she took classes on occasion and, in 1916, enrolled at the San Francisco Art Institute, taking courses that included landscape painting and the study of open air effects. Nicholson traveled to Europe, 1921–22, and was introduced to French Impressionism and Fauvism, influences that would be reflected by the broken brushwork and vivid color of her mature work.4 In late 1923 or early 1924

the artist opened a studio in Pacific Grove, a city located on California’s central coast near Monterey. An established art colony, Pacific Grove was close to her family home and well known to her. This ideal location provided proximity to the sea, a pleasing topography, and a temperate climate that enabled Nicholson to paint outdoors throughout the year. In addition, it provided easy access to the fishing industry prevalent along Monterey Bay, a subject matter that was also inspirational to her work.5 In 1938, Nicholson closed her Pacific Grove studio and is presumed to have ended her artistic career to begin a new vocation. During World War II, she trained to be an aircraft mechanic and worked at the United States Naval Air Station in Alameda, California, until her retirement in 1946. In fragile health, she spent her remaining years in Oakland.66

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Born in England, Thomas Moran is best known for his striking landscapes of the American West, especially those areas that are now major National Parks— Yosemite, Zion, Grand Canyon, and Yellowstone. Moran initially traveled west in 1871 with Dr. F. V. Hayden’s survey party, the first to officially describe and map the Yellowstone Canyon. His watercolor studies, together with Hayden’s reports and William H. Jackson’s photographs, helped convince the U.S. Government government to to establish establish Yellowstone Yellowstone as this country’s first National Park in 1872. Moran often spent the winter months in California following his wife’s death in 1899. He established a winter studio in Pasadena in 1916 and, in 1922, settled permanently in Santa Barbara.7

Moran’s work, characterized by fluid brushwork, lighting, was influenced by vivid color color,and anddramatic dramatic lighting, was influenced thethe well-known English artistartist J.M.W. Turner. This by well-known English J.M.W. Turner. painting of Point Lobos,Lobos, a location on theon south This painting of Point a location the side ofside Carmel Bay, depicts a narrow rockyrocky inlet south of Carmel Bay, depicts a narrow with water and the Pacific Ocean visinlet white-capped with white-capped water and the Pacific ible in the background. Now part of thepart California Ocean visible in the background. Now of the Park System, Lobos State Natural California ParkPoint System, Point Lobos State Reserve Natural is one ofisonly places cypress Reserve onetwo of only twowhere placesMonterey where Monterey trees aretrees native. of these expressive trees cypress areExamples native. Examples of these exprescan seen thealong edgesthe of the inlet in Moran’s sive be trees canalong be seen edges of the inlet in 8 8 painting.painting. Moran’s

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Point Lobos, Monterey, California by Thomas Moran (1837–1926), oil on canvas, 1912, gift of the White House Historical Association, 1977.

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Point Lobos, Monterey, California

Surf at Prout’s Neck Surf at Prout’s Neck by Winslow Homer (1836–1910), watercolor on paper, c. 1895, gift of Mr. and Mrs. George Brown, 1964.

The great American artist Winslow Homer is represented in the White House Collection by this watercolor scene painted at Prout’s Neck, located on the Maine coast south of Portland. Homer’s family visited this area as early as 1875, eventually acquiring property. The artist moved here in 1883 and turned a carriage house on the family property into a home and studio in 1884. When not away on painting excursions, Homer resided here for the remainder of his life.9 During the 1870s, Homer increasingly began to paint with watercolor, enjoying the directness and

spontaneity that the medium provided.10 The subject matter of his work turned more to nature and man’s struggle with nature following a two-year stay in Tynemouth, England (1881–82), where he studied the turbulent North Sea.11 At Prout’s Neck, Homer found dramatic scenery. His studio looked out over the ocean, and he was able to study the water during every type of weather and lighting condition. This seascape features a rocky ledge in the foreground with dramatic waves and high spray against a gray sky.

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The son of an accomplished painter, Frederick Waugh was a popular marine painter during the early twentieth century. This scene of crashing surf along a rocky coast was painted during a summer spent on Bailey Island, located in Casco Bay north of Portland, Maine. Born in Bordentown, New Jersey, Waugh studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, 1880–83, and later continued his training in Europe, 1892–1907. During a trip to England, he

painted along the coast and studied the ocean more closely, developing a skill for pure seascapes.12 During World War I, Waugh served as an artist with the U.S. Navy’s Design Section. Using his knowledge of the sea, he helped create a successful system of camouflage for marine vessels. In 1927, he moved permanently to Provincetown, Massachusetts, located on the tip of Cape Cod, and spent his final years surrounded by the sea.13

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Rough Sea at Bailey’s Island, Maine by Frederick Judd Waugh (1861– 1940), oil on canvas, 1909, gift of Dr. Kenneth J. Maier, 1981.

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Rough Sea at Bailey’s Island, Maine

Castle Rock, Nahant, Massachusetts Castle Rock, Nahant, Massachusetts by Alfred by Alfred T. Bricher Bricher (1837–1908), oil on canvas, 1877, gift of the White House Acquisition Fund, 1972.

Born in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Alfred Bricher was raised in Newburyport, Massachusetts. He began his career as a businessman, studying briefly at the Lowell Institute in Boston. After 1858, he was devoted to art, setting up a studio in Boston in 1860. In 1868, he moved to New York City but often returned to New England in the summers to make studies of the coast near Boston and the islands off of Maine.14 A popular subject with artists to this day is Castle Rock, a rock formation in Nahant, Massachusetts, an area north of Boston near the end of a long peninsula. This painting shows the rocky mass

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prominently at left, a view seen from a nearby promontory known as East Point. A well-dressed woman can be seen in the distance walking on the beach near the base of the formation; several rowboats are visible behind her. Sailing vessels appear on the horizon at right. The lighthouse on Egg Rock is also visible in the far right background.15 Egg Rock is a small island located less than a mile northeast of Nahant. A lighthouse was established here in 1856 but later discontinued in 1922. Today, the island is owned by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and maintained as a bird sanctuary.16

This study of Gloucester Harbor in Massachusetts was painted by the American Impressionist John H. Twachtman. He was one of the founding members of “The Ten,” an important group of American artists whose rebellion against the academic tradition of the National Academy of Design and other art establishments paralleled the revolutionary movement of the French Impressionists. Influenced by Impressionism and the American artist James McNeill Whistler, Twachtman by 1885 began to feature light, atmospheric scenes created with smooth, flat areas of color. During the summers of 19001902, Twachtman visited Gloucester and painted with an evolving style that was sketchier and even more spontaneous. Unfortunately during his last summer visit, he died suddenly of a brain aneurysm.17 The Captain Bickford mentioned in the title may refer to John F. Bickford, a Civil War Medal of Honor recipient. He served in the Union Navy as a captain of the top on board the sloop-ofwar USS Kearsarge and was awarded for his bravery in action during the sinking of the Confederate Navy commerce raider CSS Alabama, on June 19, 1864. Following the war, he settled in Gloucester and worked as a foreman at the Seth Stockbridge Fish Company. He later operated a boat rental concession from his home at Rocky Neck, a peninsula located within Gloucester’s working harbor. In June 1922, a reporter from the Boston Evening Transcript found the 80-year-old veteran ”robust and smiling, at his float, while clustered about him is a little fleet of pleasure boats of which he is now admiral.”18

Captain Bickford’s Float by John Henry Twachtman (1853–1902), oil on paper on board, 1900, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Raymond J. Horowitz, 1979.

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Captain Bickford’s Float

Thacher Island off Rockport, Massachusetts Thacher Island off Rockport, Massachusetts by [Thomas] Worthington Whittredge (1820– 1910), oil on canvas, early 20th century, gift of the White House Historical Association and Berry-Hill Galleries, 1976.

This remarkable little painting captures a view of Thacher Island, located approximately a mile offshore of Rockport, Massachusetts, about 40 miles north of Boston. It is not known when Worthington Whittredge painted this scene, but it is thought to have been created towards the end of his career. A Hudson River School painter, Whittredge is well known for his landscapes including many fine paintings of the American West.19 The sea and the shoreline were also subjects of interest to him. Several of his paintings of the Massachusetts shore may depict the Cape Ann coastal area.20 The island with its distinctive pair of lighthouses was named for Anthony Thacher, who was shipwrecked here in 1635. Thacher and his wife were

the only survivors during a storm later called the Great Colonial Hurricane of 1635. The colonial government later ceded the island to Thacher, and it remained in his family for approximately 80 years. In 1771 the colony acquired the island and constructed two lighthouses to differentiate this area of Cape Ann from the single lighthouses marking the harbors of Boston and Portsmouth. The lighthouses were replaced in 1861 with taller towers made of New Hampshire granite and remain to this day. They are the only currently operating twin lighthouses in America. Today, the southern end of the island is owned by the town of Rockport, and the northern end is the property of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 21

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On October 29, 1996, Sand Dunes at Sunset, Atlantic City by Henry O. Tanner was unveiled at an East Room ceremony by President and Mrs. William J. Clinton. The first work of art by an African American artist for the White House Collection, the painting was acquired from Dr. Rae Alexander-Minter, a grandniece of the artist, and donated by the White House Historical Association. Tanner, the son of an African Methodist Episcopal minister and a private school teacher, was born in Pittsburgh in 1859. At the age of 20, he studied under Thomas Eakins at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. In 1891, Tanner moved to Paris, where he found a more accepting audience. Although he spent over half of his life in France, he always considered himself an American. During remarks given at the 1996 unveiling ceremony, his grandniece stated, “In Atlantic City, he found solace and peace and while he left America in 1891 saying ‘he could not paint and fight prejudice at the same

time,’ he never became an expatriate for he loved America and realized its promise.”22 Tanner made periodic visits to the United States and served as a lieutenant with the American Red Cross during World War I. He died in Paris in 1937. 23 This beautiful view depicts an area of the New Jersey Shore in the late afternoon light. Windswept sand dunes topped with sea grass dominate the foreground. For a textual effect, the artist added sand to the paint used to create the dunes; it is visible upon close examination.24 The ocean is in the background with waves calmly breaking on the shore. Various sailing vessels appear on the horizon line. Seasonal employment opportunities brought Tanner to Atlantic City on several occasions during the summers of the 1870s and 1880s. Close to large population centers and easily accessible by train, it was a major vacation destination for families, especially popular from the 1880s to the 1940s.25

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Sand Dunes at Sunset, Atlantic City by Henry Ossawa Tanner (1859–1937), oil on canvas, c. 1885, gift of the White House Historical Association, 1995.

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Sand Dunes at Sunset, Atlantic City

Boys Crabbing Boys Crabbing by William Tylee Ranney (1813– 1857), oil on canvas, 1855, gift of The Charles E. Merrill Trust, 1972.

Born in Middletown, Connecticut, William Ranney moved to New York City around the age of 20 and worked in an architect’s office, where he studied drawing and painting. In 1836, Ranney left for Texas and enlisted in the war for independence from Mexico. Upon his return, he set up a studio in New York City and later in nearby West Hoboken, New Jersey. Inspired by his Texas experience and a studio filled with mementos, Ranney created popular views of life on the western frontier. An avid sportsman, he is also known for scenes showing hunting and fishing

activities near his New Jersey home. This scene of four boys crabbing from a pier may recall bygone days of childhood innocence, a theme that was popular with American painters before the Civil War. Against a luminous sky, the asymmetrical composition is highlighted by the triangular shapes of the sails in the background. It is a great example of Ranney’s genre style and likely portrays an area close to his studio. West Hoboken is located on the Hudson River near the opening to New York Harbor.26

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In 1909 near the end of Theodore Roosevelt’s presidency, the Persian consul general in New York presented him with a rare jeweled prayer rug and a painting of New York Harbor. The gifts were received at the White House and accepted by President Roosevelt for the government.27 Not much is known about the artist of the painting. Carl, Carl, or or Charles, Charles, Calusd, described as an artist, restorer, and dealer, was born in Armenia. He later worked in Washington, D.C., from 1933 until his death in 1936.28 Calusd’s busy harbor scene features the Statue of Liberty with a cityscape in the background and various boats in the foreground, including a passenger ship positioned prominently at left. The iconic statue was roughly 25 years old when this painting was executed. A symbol of freedom and democracy, it was presented to the United States as a gift of friendship from the people of France. In 1865, a French policy intellectual and antianti slavery activist named Edouard de Laboulaye proposed that thataastatue statuerepresenting representingliberty Liberty be made be made for

for United States. It would the United the the United States. It would honorhonor the United States’ States’ centennial of independence and the friendcentennial of independence and the friendship with ship with France. TheFrédéric sculptorAuguste FrédéricBartholdi Auguste France. The sculptor Bartholdi the idea anddesigning began designing a supportedsupported the idea and began a statue statue of “Liberty Enlightening the World.” Bedloe’s of “Liberty Enlightening the World.” Bedloe’s Island, Island, nowLiberty calledIsland, Libertywas Island, wasby selected by now called selected Bartholdi Bartholdi to be for his colossal Here to be the site forthe his site colossal work. Herework. it would be it would visible every ship entering the harvisible to be every shipto entering the harbor, which the bor, which the sculptor viewed astothe “gateway to sculptor viewed as the “gateway America.” The America.” statue was in Paris in 1885. statue wasThe completed in completed Paris in 1885. It was then It was then disassembled, and to disassembled, packed, andpacked, shipped to shipped New York, New York, where it was reassembled on where it was reassembled and placedand on aplaced pedestal a pedestalby designed by American designed American architectarchitect RichardRichard Morris MorrisThe Hunt. The iron framework the statue’s Hunt. iron framework for thefor statue’s outer outer copper shell was designed by Alexandrecopper shell was designed by Alexandre-Gustave Gustave Eiffel, who would later Eiffel Eiffel, who would later build the build Eiffel the Tower in Tower The in Paris. was unveiled officially and unveiled Paris. statueThe wasstatue officially dediand dedicated by President Groveron Cleveland on cated by President Grover Cleveland October 28, October 28, 1886. In 1924 the Statue of Liberty 1886. In 1924 the Statue of Liberty was designated was designated a National Monument a National Monument and since 1933 itand has since been 29 1933 hascare beenofunder the care Park of theService. National Park underitthe the National Service.29

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Welcome by Carl Welcome by Carl (or Charles) Calusd (or Charles) Calusd (c. 1860–1936), (c. 1860–1936), oil on canvas, early oil on canvas, early 20th century, gift 20th century, gift of Hayozoun of Hayozoun Hohannes Hohannes Topakyan, 1909. Topakyan, 1909.

Welcome

Mouth of the Delaware Mouth of the Delaware by Thomas Birch (1779–1851), oil on canvas, 1828, gift of the White House Historical Association, 1962.

One of the earliest gifts presented to the collection by the White House Historical Association is this early nineteenth nineteenth-century century maritime maritime scene scene painted painted by Thomas by Thomas Birch. Birch. At the age of 15, Birch emigrated from England with his father, artist William Russell Birch, and settled in Philadelphia Philadelphia in in 1794. 1794. Influenced by Dutch tradition, he would become a skilled draftsman and a painter of portraits and landscapes. Birch would, however, be best known as a marine painter, one of the first to achieve popularity in America. Although he documented much of the Mid-Atlantic Coast and as far north as Maine, he worked principally around Philadelphia and the Delaware River area.30

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The Delaware River played a pivotal role in the economic and industrial growth of the United States, serving important port cities such as Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Wilmington, Delaware. Approximately 330 miles long, the river is the common border for four U.S. states—New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. It flows into the Delaware Bay, which empties into the Atlantic Ocean between New Jersey’s Cape May and Cape Henlopen in Delaware.31 This painting may show the opening to the river, or it may depict a view near Lewes, Delaware, at Cape Henlopen, where harbor pilots were brought aboard vessels entering the bay to guide the ships safely through the shallows.32

From Governors Island in Boston Harbor, Fitz Henry Lane captured this luminous view of the busy Boston waterfront. The expansive city skyline seen in the background spans from South Boston Flats, at far left, to Charlestown and the naval shipyard, at far right. Several major buildings are identifiable, including the gilded dome of the Massachusetts State House and the steeple of the North End’s Christ Church, more commonly referred to as the Old North Church. Among the various sailing vessels in the harbor are three steam-powered boats, perhaps added by the artist as a nod to the technological changes to come in the shipping industry.33 Lane, a self-taught painter from Gloucester, Massachusetts, was born Nathaniel Rogers Lane. For unknown reasons, he petitioned to change his

name to Fitz Henry in 1831. Lane moved to Boston in 1832 and apprenticed at a lithography shop where he received his only formal training. During this formative period, he developed his drawing skills and worked in a variety of mediums.34 In 1847, Lane returned to Gloucester and in 1849 designed a stone house, with a studio on the top floor, for a hillside at Duncan Point in the harbor village.35 Lane was active in the local community. Although he had physical disabilities, he did travel around New England in the 1850s, and even farther south to New York, Baltimore, and possibly San Juan, Puerto Rico. Lane was popular during his lifetime and likely influenced other marine painters to come to Cape Ann and work.36

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Boston Harbor by Fitz Henry Lane (1804–1865), oil on canvas, 1854, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Lew Wasserman, 1963.

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Boston Harbor

notes 1.

“The White House Collections Policy and Procedures,” 1992, 1, Office of the Curator, The White House (OCWH). 2. For biographical information, see the exhibition catalog by Marjorie Dakin Arkelian, William Hahn: Genre Painter, 1829–87 (Oakland, Calif.: Oakland Museum, 1976), esp. 11–13, 20–28, 46. A Day at the Seashore is discussed on page 28. 3. Walter A. Nelson-Rees to Clement Conger, May 25, 1984, OCWH. The second painting donated to the White House Collection is Fishing Boats: Fisherman’s Wharf, Monterey, California. 4. See the biography of the artist in the exhibition catalog by Iona M. Chelette et al., California Grandeur and Genre (Palm Springs, Calif.: Palm Springs Desert Museum, 1991), n.p. 5. The growth of the Monterey fishing industry at the beginning of the twentieth century, especially sardine fishing, led to the fishing canning industry and the creation of Cannery Row, an area of Monterey adjacent to Pacific Grove. After World War II, the sardines disappeared and the industry collapsed. Today Cannery Row is a tourist attraction with restaurants and hotels and the Monterey Bay Aquarium. See Nikk Ogaba, “The Sardine War Hits a Lull But the Tides Are Rising,” Monterey Herald, November 3, 2020; “The Canneries,” Cannery Row website, www. canneryrow.com. 6. Biographical information about the artist is in Walter A. NelsonRees, Lillie May Nicholson, 1884–1964: An Artist Rediscovered (Oakland, Calif.: WIM, 1981), 9–10, 13–14, 19, 22–24, 31, 39, 44, 51. In 1947, Nicholson attempted to destroy many of her paintings stored at the family ranch but was prevented from doing so. With the exception of relatives and a few close friends, her artwork was largely forgotten until this grouping was shown to Walter Nelson-Rees and James Coran in 1979. This publication was written by Nelson-Rees, with assistance provided by Nicholson family members, to tell the artist’s story and provide a catalog of the works known at that time. 7. William Kloss, Art in the White House: A Nation’s Pride, 2nd ed. (Washington, D.C.: White House Historical Association, 2008), 243. See also the biography of Thomas Moran in the entry for his Green River Cliff Cliffs, s, Wyoming (1881) on the National Gallery of Art website, www.nga.gov. 8. See Welcome to Point Lobos State Natural Reserve at Point Lobos Foundation website, www.pointlobos.org. 9. Homer’s studio was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1965. Today it is owned by the Portland Museum of Art and open to visitors. See “Winslow Homer’s Studio,” Portland Museum of Art website, www.portlandmuseum.org. See also Kloss, Art in the White House, 217. 10. Philip C. Beam et al., Winslow Homer in the 1890s: Prout’s Neck Observed (New York: Hudson Hills Press in association with the Memorial Art Gallery of the University of Rochester, 1990), 16–18. 11. John Wilmerding, American Marine Painting, 2nd ed. (New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1987), 157–60. 12. Kristian Davies, Artists of Cape Ann: A 150 Year Tradition (Rockport, Mass.: Twin Lights Publishers, 2001), 68. 13. Gary A. Hood, Majesty in Motion: The Paintings of Frederick J. Waugh, brochure for 1989 exhibit at Edwin A. Ulrich Museum of Art, Wichita State University, Wichita, Kans., copy in OCWH. 14. Wilmerding, American Marine Painting, 142–43. 15. Calantha D. Sears, curator, Nahant Historical Society, Nahant, Mass., correspondence and information provided, March 24, 2011, OCWH. 16. Jeremy D. Entremont, “The Lost Light of Egg Rock,” Lighthouse Digest, February 1999, 8–10. 17. Davies, Artists of Cape Ann, 58–59. 18. For information about John F. Bickford, see Norman C. Delaney, “I Didn’t Feel Excited a Mite,” Naval History Magazine 24, no. 6 (December 2010). “A Survivor Recalls the Kearsarge Fight,” Boston Evening Transcript, June 21, 1922, provides additional information about Bickford. Rocky Neck is today the site of various galleries and home to several working artists. Information about the Rocky Neck Art Colony can be found on the organization’s website, www.rockyneckartcolony.org. 19. Whittredge is also represented in the White House Collection by a large western painting from c. 1871 entitled Crossing the River

Platte. See Kloss, Art in the White House, 172–73. 20. Wilmerding, American Marine Painting, 55. Wilmerding cites Whittredge’s autobiography that states how attracted he was to towns on Cape Ann. Cape Ann is a peninsula north of Boston and includes the city of Gloucester, as well as towns such as Essex, Manchester-by-the-Sea, and Rockport. It continues to be a popular destination for artists. 21. The history of the island and the lighthouses are in “Thacher Island Lighthouses, Rockport, MA, An Incredible History,” www.addisonchoate.com; Thacher Island Associates website, www.thacherisland.org. In 1861, Fresnel lenses were installed in the towers. An important improvement for mariners, the concentrated beam of light could be seen from a distance of about 22 miles. The lens removed from the south tower in 1980 by the Coast Guard is now on display at the Cape Ann Museum in Gloucester, Massachusetts. See “First Order Fresnel Lens,” Cape Ann Museum website, www.capeannmuseum.org. 22. Dr. Rae Alexander-Minter, remarks at the unveiling ceremony, October 29, 1996, copy in OCWH. 23. Biographical information from fact sheet prepared at the time of acquisition, copy in OCWH. 24. Kloss, Art in the White House, 192, 305n2. 25. See information about the history of Atlantic City at the Atlantic City Free Public Library website, www. acfpl.org. See also “History of Atlantic City,” City of Atlantic City, New Jersey, website, www.atl.gov. 26. Linda Bantel and Peter H. Hassrick, Forging an American Identity: The Art of William Ranney with a Catalogue of His Works (Cody, Wyo.: Buffalo Bill Historical Center, 2006), 143–44. See also Kloss, Art in the White House, 131. 27. See Betty C. Monkman et al., Furnishing the White House: The Decorative Arts Collection (Washington, D.C.: White House Historical Association, 2023), 209, 365. The catalog entry references a letter written by Theodore Roosevelt to H. H. Topakyan, February 17, 1909, accepting the rug for the government. The painting is not mentioned but is presumed to have been received with the rug. Theodore Roosevelt Papers, Letters Sent, 91:232, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 28. Virgil E. McMahan. The Artists of Washington, D.C., 1796–1996: An Illustrated Directory of Painters, Sculptors and Engravers Born Before 1900 (Washington, D.C.: Artists of Washington, 1995), 1:35. 29. See “Statue of Liberty,” National Park Service website, www.nps. gov. 30. Wilmerding, American Marine Painting, 74–82. 31. Information about the Delaware River is found at the Alliance for Watershed Education of the Delaware River website, Basic Facts,” www.watershedalliance.org; “Delaware River Basin Facts,” Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources website, www.watersheded.dcnr.state.pa.us. 32. Kloss, Art in the White House, 98. 33. See a biography of Fitz Henry Lane and a Cape Ann Museum catalog of his work on the Fitz Henry Lane Online website, www. fitzhenrylaneonline.org. The catalog entry for this painting also mentions a related drawing of the Boston skyline from the Cape Ann Museum collection, created by Lane in the 1850s, and identifies the types of ships seen in the painting. The side-wheel steamers are coastal passenger vessels. Two smaller examples in the left foreground and left middle ground carried commuters and goods to nearby towns along Boston’s north and south shores. The larger example, located in front of the State House in the center background, was used for longer routes along New England’s northern and southern coasts. See also Kloss, Art in the White House, 128. 34. Wilmerding, American Marine Painting, 113; Davies, Artists of Cape Ann, 6. 35. Lane’s granite home still exists today and is owned by the city of Gloucester. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970. From his third-floor studio, he created many Gloucester Harbor scenes, a large selection of which are in the collection of the Cape Ann Museum. 36. Davies, Artists of Cape Ann, 9; Wilmerding, American Marine Painting, 121.

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