Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1924-04-13
BY HAROLD N. PHILIPS.

T the hallowed halls of art, the
Iong-negiected merchan m n -
trail blazer of the worlds COM
merce-has at last won recogni-
ton and been given place beside the
proud and mighty man-o'-war.
All that the fighting ships OF his
tory have inspired in painters and
authors since the days Of the an
cient Greek trirene, the sturdy little
barks Of the merchant marine that
first opened the lanes of commerce to
the nations have inspired in Paul
Farnham, painter, sculptor, author,
historian and philosopher.
The result has been the creation of
one of the most remarkable collec-
tions of historic maritime pictures
ever displayed, a series of twelve
paintings by Mr.. Farnham showing
the evolution of the commerce bearer
from the earliest days of the Phoent-
clan mariners, more than seven hum
dred years before the birth Of Christ,
s1p to the opening of the golden coast
of western America
Where other painters have seen in
The stern man-o'-war a. conquering
hero. girded for the fray wherever it
might be, Afr. Farnham has looked
upon the comparatively neglected
merchant trader with the eyes of the
philosopher, and pictured if as the
creators of nations, the fearless ex-
pIorer, eager to buffet the wrath Of
any sea from the Arctic CIRCLE to the
dread white wastes of the Antarctic.
1t look the painter fourteen years to
complete twelve pictures and they are
now on display for a limited length
of time in the Corcoran Gallery of
Art Already they have won high
tributes from the critics OF many of
the larger cities in the country and
daily Mr.. Farnham is besieged by
both artists and business men. from
all parts of the country to bring his
prizes to their cities for a short show
ing, at least.
y = =
MR.. FARNHAM has entitled his col
@NA lection Ancient Ships of the
Merchant Marine That Opened the
Commerce of, the World" Most OF
them have carved their names for
ever upon the history of progress and
civilization. Although the names of
one or two of the earliest vessels are
not known, each had some prominent
part in an ancient legend or myth.
particularly the swift boat of
Viking prince.
MY desire to attract the attention
-t-,a art
connoisseurs, historical Institutions,
government depots and financial in
terests to some of the vessels con-
structed in the old shipyards Of
Europe" said Mr.. Farnham, by way
of explanation, induced me to pro-
duce these paintings of the wonder
full examples that teach US what the
shipbuilders of the old world said
and did
IF they are, even in a small way.
an incentive for our own government
to develop it's merchant marine on
perhaps more appropriate lines Of
manufacture. then ] shall feel that
my message has been heard and my
labor has not been in vain. For, in
the language of the old mariner-'A
ship is a beautiful She have sailed
the many seas for models. Therefore
/ know what 1 paint
Mr.. Farnham was careful to the ex-
treme to make sure that every one OF
the famous vessels he painted was
true to the original, even to the
minutest detail of their scale as to
size. Every gun-for all merchant
ment carried batteries in the early
days of trading to protect them from
pirates--is placed in the painting ex-
actly where it stood aboard the YES
sci itself; the sails themselves show
every rope and spar the old mariners
once used.
AS one stands off and admires the
pictures. he cannot help but think:
What tiny things to dare the furies
of the ocean. why, even the waves
seem to swallow them up Surely
that must be an error in perspective;
the painter must have blundered bad
~"
The perspective is all right: the
painter did not blunder. The paint
tngs emphasize the bravery of those
maritime predecessors who faced,
death in the hurricanes aboard
miniature craft a modern sailor
would not even attempt to sail down
the most placid, land-locked stream
NO mysterious or disastrous ef-
rects are shown" he says. The ships
are observed from the crows nest or
fighting top. thereby giving distance
and atmosphere. They are detailed
from stem to stern ,'underweigh'-at
soa-giving an opportunity to study
the outline of the hul1s, sails and rig
ging. I did not attempt to produce
aesthetic or impressionist pictures, as
ship bow on an Indifferent location.
In my paintings, the ships are the
correct dimensions. Small in proper
ton they were constructed to take
one long swell, and therefore able, to
weather the changeable storms in all
.,uarters of the globe, and are repre-
scented in these different climates. In
the shipyards of the east they were
built of fir, lockwood, cedar. oak and
cypress; in the west of oak timbers
and knees, elm and beech planking,
ash blocks and throats. pine masts
and spars."
go anxious was Mr.. Farnham to con-
~ vey the real story of each vessel
in this picture novel of maritime
romance that he painted his ships
not upon canvas but upon planches of
wood from which the different COM
merce carriers were themselves built.