Painting, <i>Ocean Monarch</i>
date: label: date made
content: ca 1848
name: label: maker
content: Walters, Samuel
notes: label: Description
content: The <i>Ocean Monarch</i> sailed between Boston and Liverpool. On August 24, 1848, carrying 396 passengers, it set sail from Liverpool to the United States. That day, off Great Ormes Head, North Wales, a fire broke out on the lower deck, suspected to be from passengers smoking below deck. Several ships came to its rescue, including the Brazilian steam frigate <i>Alfonso</i>, the packet <i>New World</i>, the yacht <i>Queen of the Ocean</i>, the steamer <i>Prince of Wales</i>, and <i>Cambria</i>. Of the 396 passengers, 218 were rescued and 178 were missing or dead. The ship was completely lost. This was considered one of the major sea disasters of the 19th century.
label: Description
content: The painting shows the burning of the <i>Ocean Monarch</i> in rough seas. Several sail and steam ships are coming to the rescue of the passengers. About six small lifeboats are in the water. Only one mast is left, and the bowsprit is in two pieces. The CIGNA collection has another of Samuel Walter's five paintings of the fire, <i>The</i> Queen of the Ocean <i>Going to the Rescue of the</i> Ocean Monarch. The collection also has two prints on the subject: <i>Burning of the</i> Ocean Monarch <i>of Boston</i> by Currier and <i>Ocean Monarch</i> by A. McClure.
label: Description
content: Samuel Walters (1811-1882) was a British marine painter. He was the son of English shipwright, seaman, and marine painter, Miles Walters. Walters assisted his father with ship portraits and in the 1840s set up his own studio in Bootle, England. Much of his business consisted of painting portraits of new ships for their English and American owners.
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: 2005.0279.062
label: accession number
content: 2005.0279
label: catalog number
content: 2005.0279.062
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: 24 in x 36 in; 60.96 cm x 91.44 cm
label: Measurements
content: with frame: 34 1/2 in x 46 3/4 in; 87.63 cm x 118.745 cm