The United States Frigate "President" Engaging the British Squadron, 1815

1850

Fitz Henry Lane

Associated Names
Fitz Henry Lane

Painter, American, 1804 - 1865

This painting shows a maritime landscape with an expansive view of the ocean and sky. The horizon is positioned in the lower third of the composition, meeting a clear sky with soft, diffused clouds. Two ships appear to be engaged in a conflict on the green, wave-filled water. One large sailing ship with fully extended sails is near the bottom right corner of the painting. It has two tall masts and multiple white sails, and it flies the flag of the U.S.A in several places. The body of this ship is gray with a wide white stripe, and cannons stick out of small holes across the ship. Small people climb on ropes up into the sails, which are covered in small white and gray dots, perhaps indicating holes. Another ship is visible in the distance on the left side of the painting, and its cannons appear to be firing, with bursts of yellow flame and smoke drifting across the water. This ship flies several flags in shades of red, blue, and white. In the background, the faint gray silhouettes of other ships can be seen across the water. The ocean is depicted with smooth brushstrokes in shades of green and white, and the wide sky is a gradient, with light blue at the top and pale yellow towards the horizon. Faint white clouds drift in the top left corner of the painting.

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Artwork overview

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

(Kennedy Galleries, New York), in 1960; purchased 1961 by the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington; acquired 2014 by the National Gallery of Art.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1961

  • Loan for display at The White House, Washington, 1961-1963..

1963

  • Progress of an American Collection, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, 1963, unpublished checklist.

1964

  • Loan for display at The White House, Washington, 1964-1965.

  • Fitz Hugh Lane, 1804-1865, American Marine Painting, Essex Institute, Salem, Massachusetts, 1964, no. 50.

1966

  • Past and Present: 250 Years of American Art, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, 1966, unpublished checklist.

1970

  • American Marine Painting and Ship Portraits of the 19th Century, Everson Museum of Art, Syracuse, 1970, no. 29.

1976

  • Corcoran [The American Genuis], Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, 1976, no checklist.

1980

  • American Luminism, Adams Davidson Galleries, Washington, 1980, no. 16.

1983

  • The Rockets' Red Glare: An 1812 History, Heritage Plantation of Sandwich [Maine], 1983, no catalogue.

1988

  • The American Seascape from John Smibert to John Marin, Mansfield Art Center, Ohio, 1988, no. 7.

1989

  • Realism and Romanticism in Nineteenth-Century New England Seascapes, Whitney Museum of American Art at Champion, Stamford, 1989, unnumbered checklist.

2005

  • Encouraging American Genius: Master Paintings from the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; Parrish Art Museum, Southampton, NY; Mint Museum of Art, Charlotte; John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, Sarasota, 2005-2007, checklist no.20.

2013

  • American Journeys: Visions of Place, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, 21 September 2013-28 September 2014, unpublished checklist.

Bibliography

2011

  • Wagner, Ann Prentice. "Fitz Henry Lane, The United States Frigate 'President' Engaging the British Squadron." In Corcoran Gallery of Art: American Paintings to 1945. Edited by Sarah Cash. Washington, 2011: 98-99, 261, repro.

Wikidata ID

Q46628083

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