The Washington herald., 1909-07-22
PAINTED SHIPS THAT LIE.

This IS the season Of the year for
marine pictures" said q New York Yacht
Club member the other day. 'and I notice
that most OF the picture stores have their
seascapes most prominently displayed in
their windows and on their walls. And
any practical yaohtsman viii look at
them and laugh.
When the summer begins to loom up
and the idea OF joys afioat is more sea-
sonable. the crafty picture dealer puts
forth his paintings Of ships and shipping.
A lot OF US, art dilettantes and yachting
cranks combined. are bitten regularly
But those Of Us who know the old navy
and the rules and regulations OF the
windjammer days just look 81 them and
smile.
The fact OF the matter is that no
matter how good an artist may be. he
seems TO be literally at sea when he
begins to paint a ship. OF course. some
Of the old-timers who were sailors before
they were painters, or who have studied
the sea for years. know better, and never
make mistakes. But not many or them
are altogether immune Such a thing as
an absolutely correct sea picture is a
rarity.
"The trouble with them IS they are too
anxious TO make things picturesque.
There's a big picture IN the window Of a
prominent Brooklyn art dealers store, or
was the other day VIXEN I passed. that IS
an example OF too much art and not
enough facts. II shows an almost broad
side view OF q working siOop passing a
lighthouse at night. The lighthouse Is d
fixed red light. and throws a flaming
crimson on the water for two miles. The
boat. though viewed from the side. shows
both her port and starboard lights, and
they reflect at least a half-mile away.
You could see but one Of them 4 the
picture was correct, and that wouldn' Z
reflect on the water at all, because from
the way she was heading Il would be q
green.
a little further mp the street the same
day I saw an old-fashioned square-riEged
ship sailing majesticany over SOM very
lovely blue waves. with the wind blowing
IN two different directions. At least, from
the way her yards were braced, il must
have been.
How often you see these old-time
square-rigged ships In pictures sailing
full before the wind. with every sail draw
ing and her staysails and tibs bellied out
most picturesQuely. That. in fact is the
usual way the artists paint them. The
old square riggers seldom sailed before
the wind, preferTing to take the slant a
! little quartering, for the very reason that
/ If they went before it their head sails
would be absolutely useless. Those pretty
staysails and jibs couldn't swell and draw
the way the artist has them. That's why
the shippers don't sail that way.
Some of us old-timers get around the
table up I'm the club once In q while and
cuss these pictures. But the major por-
| ton of humanity doesn't know any better
Everything is steel now The old wooden
navy and its school Of seamanship is gone
and with It the pride and the life study OF
| ropes, canvas, spars. and marlin. The old
was the picturesque. so they still paint f.
but they don't know 1t any more. at least
the younger ones don't, and those who do
know it are careless because they think
/ no one will know the difference.
And the painters OF the new are worse
! still The steel ships allow OF even less
deviation from fact than the old ones
They are a matter OF rivets and plates
and braces, and everything Is steel. steel
/ always steel When an artist with imag.
ination. nerve. and little information falls
afoul of a steel ships deck, the result i;
awful"