Seas and oceans always have been military and commercial shipping routes. In the mid-19th century they also became a center for pleasure boating. Americans who grew wealthy from the Industrial Revolution took to the water for relaxation and sport, giving rise to the America’s Cup and other yachting contests.
A small exhibit at Wadsworth Atheneum focuses on this era and pastime. Paintings, prints, boat models and boating paraphernalia tell stories of adventure, leisure and fun in the Long Island Sound, on the sea and on rivers, in the United States and in Europe.
“We have significant maritime holdings in great part thanks to Charles Goodwin, who was the second-longest serving board president of the Wadsworth. He was an avid collector,” said Brandy Culp, the museum’s curator of American decorative arts. Culp curated the show with Brenda Milkofsky, the former director of the Connecticut River Museum in Essex. Goodwin was the board president from 1926 to 1954.
“We also have significant holdings from Elizabeth Colt. She saved many artifacts, including artifacts relating to Caldwell Colt’s occupation as a yachtsman,” Culp said.
One schooner in particular is showcased: the Dauntless, owned by Caldwell Colt, son of Hartford gun mogul Samuel Colt and his wife, Elizabeth. The Dauntless was the center of Caldwell Colt’s life and the scene of his death at age 35 off the coast of Punta Gorda, Fla.
Some highlights of the exhibit:
‘View of Anthony’s Nose on the Hudson River,’ c. 1845
Victor de Grailly, Parisian by birth, was inspired in his art by the eastern United States. In 1845, de Grailly painted a romantic scene of several pleasure boats dotting the waterways at Anthony’s Nose, a riverside peak in Westchester County, N.Y. Those with little sailing experience used those inland waterways to practice their skills and race against others trying to learn to sail before braving the open sea.
‘Fruit Dish on Stand,’ 1857
This Tiffany & Co. cup was won by Caldwell Colt, who piloted the Dauntless in a regatta in Halifax, Nova Scotia, in 1887. Thirty-three boats were registered. Colt’s was the biggest by far at 116 feet. Colt, who owned five yachts, was described in a book by Hartford historian William Hosley as “a stereotypical icon of foppish indulgence whose fame was earned by his courage and audacity as a celebrated yachtsman.”
‘Coast Scene with Figures (Beverly Shore),” 1869
John Frederick Kensett depicted the changes in water travel by painting two crafts on the ocean, as couples gaze out to sea, the waves gently lapping. One craft is a sailboat. A steamship outdistances it so solidly it can barely be seen on the horizon. Kensett, who lived on Contentment Island in Long Island Sound off the coast of Darien, spent his late career focusing on peaceful scenes of beach and water.
‘Venetian Days,’ 1874
Six peaceful scenes of cruising in Venice – where American yachtsmen and women went for some international fun and competition – were created in 1874 by Hartford native William Gedney Bunce. The small works are presented as a testament to travel. Bunce’s artworks are eclipsed by the glorious frame created for them by Augustus Saint-Gaudens, which includes coils of rope, fish and ocean waves.
‘On the Yacht Namouna, Venice,’ 1890
Julius LeBlanc Stewart painted a luxurious scene on a yacht owned by New York Herald heir James Gordon Bennett. An elegant lady lounges beside Bennett in nautical-inspired garb, while a dog stares at her adoringly. One young man and two other young women enjoy the sail. Stewart himself was the heir of a sugar millionaire. He is known for his paintings of high-society subjects.
‘Pamela Snow in X Class Dingie,’ before 1950
Culp said photographer Hank Murphy worked for The Hartford Times and took many photographs of sailors on the Sound. This photo of a woman in a boat, and other Murphy photos, are included in a slide show in the exhibit of a variety of scenes of boats and their captains. “This type of boat, an X-Class dinghy, was commonly found in our local waters,” Culp said.
SPORT AND LEISURE: SAILING ON THE SOUND is at Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, 600 Main St. in Hartford, until mid-2020. thewadsworth.org.
Susan Dunne can be reached at sdunne@courant.com.
