Whaler off the Vineyard – Outward Bound

William Bradford, Whaler off the Vineyard--Outward Bound, 1859, oil on fiberboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1978.72
Copied William Bradford, Whaler off the Vineyard--Outward Bound, 1859, oil on fiberboard, 16 x 24 in. (40.7 x 61.0 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1978.72
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Artwork Details

Title
Whaler off the Vineyard – Outward Bound
Artist
Date
1859
Location
Dimensions
16 x 24 in. (40.7 x 61.0 cm)
Credit Line
Museum purchase
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on fiberboard
Classifications
Keywords
  • Architecture — boat — sailing ship
  • Occupation — industry — fishing
  • Travel — water — boat
  • Waterscape — sea — Atlantic Ocean
  • Landscape — Massachusetts — Martha’s Vineyard
Object Number
1978.72
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1978.72

Artwork Description

William Bradford is best known for his paintings of the Arctic, but his early work focused on the ships of New England. He grew up near New Bedford, Massachusetts, which was home to a successful whaling industry. In this image, he painted a large whaling ship with a smaller schooner sailing in the foreground, and the cliffs of Gay Head, Martha's Vineyard, in the background. This area was the standard route for whalers entering and leaving the port of New Bedford. Bradford emphasized the smallest details in this sweeping seascape, from the ripples in the sails to the suspenders on the sailors.

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