Painting, USS <I>Pennsylvania</I>
date: label: date made
content: after 1872
name: label: maker
content: Hamilton, James
notes: label: Description
content: USS <I>Pennsylvania</I> was built in 1872 by Wm. Cramp & Sons in Philadelphia, PA. The ship measured 375 feet in length, 43 feet 8 inches in beam, and 3,104 tons. <I>Pennsylvania</I> was one of the first four iron transatlantic liners built in the United States. Sister ships were <I>Ohio</I>, <I>Indiana</I>, and <I>Illinois</I>. The <I>Pennsylvania</I> was sold in 1884 to the International Navigation company. Later, in 1898 the ship was sold to the Alaska Steamship Company. The <I>Pennsylvania</I> made its first Atlantic crossing in May 1873. While returning from Europe in 1874, <I>Pennsylvania</I> encountered a severe gale which swept the captain, first and second officers, and two seamen from the bridge of the ship. They were drowned, leaving no one to command the ship. One of the passengers, C. L. Brady, formerly the third officer on the White Star liner Atlantic, took over and brought the ship in.
label: Description
content: The painting shows a portside profile of the steamer in vigorous seas. To the distant left, a small sailing craft is approaching. The plate on the original frame reads "American Line Ship S/S Pennsylvania, Organized by the Penna. R.R. 1871, First Crossing to England, 1873, Built by Wm. Cramp & Sons." The CIGNA collection contains a painting of Pennsylvania's sister ship <I>Indiana</I>.
label: Description
content: The painter, James Hamilton (1819-1878), was born in Ireland and came to Philadelphia with his family at age 15. He probably painted this picture sometime between the time the ship was built in 1872 and 1875, when he sold most of his possessions in order to take a trip around the world. In 1878, he died while in San Francisco, before his journey was complete.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
topic: label: Subject
content: Maritime
setName: label: See more items in
content: Work and Industry: Maritime
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content: Cigna Maritime Collection
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content: Transportation
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content: Art
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of CIGNA Museum and Art Collection
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 2005.0279.012
label: accession number
content: 2005.0279
label: catalog number
content: 2005.0279.012
objectType: label: Object Name
content: painting
label: Object Name
content: painting, oil
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: oil on canvas (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: without frame: 36 in x 60 in; 91.44 cm x 152.4 cm
label: Measurements
content: with frame: 49 in x 73 in; 124.46 cm x 185.42 cm