Painting of the <I>Great Republic</I>
date: label: date made
content: ca 1853
name: label: maker
content: Evans, J. G.
notes: label: Description
content: <I>Great Republic</I> was designed by Donald McKay and built in 1853. It was built in East Boston and originally measured 335 feet long and 4,555 tons. <I>Great Republic</I> was the largest clipper ship ever built in the United States designed to carry 6,000 tons dead weight.
label: Description
content: The first <I>Great Republic</I> was partially destroyed by a fire while in New York in 1853. <I>Great Republic</I> was insured by INA along with New York Mutual at $175,000. After the fire, the policy was cancelled and the premium was returned. Nothing in INA records indicates what exclusion may have prompted this action. The ship was bought by A.A. Low & Brother of New York and rebuilt in Greenpoint, Long Island by Sneeden & Whitlock under the supervision of Captain N.B. Palmer. It was rebuilt to a smaller scale with three decks instead of four and with a reduced length of 302 feet and a tonnage of 3,357.
label: Description
content: <I>Great Republic</I> was first captained by Joseph Limeburner. Shortly after its first voyage from New York to Liverpool the ship was contracted by the French to run supplies to Marseilles at 17 shillings per ton per month. Following the completion of the contract with France, <I>Great Republic</I> primarily traded between San Francisco and New York, making several stops in Liverpool as well. In 1861, during the Civil War, the ship was detained at New York because a majority of her owners were southerners. The shares of the southerners were bought by A.A. Low & Brother, co-owners, and the ship was released. Great Republic was then contracted by the United States Government for transport purposes, and made a trip to Port Royal, Jamaica. On the <I>Great Republic</I>'s last voyage in 1864 from New York to San Francisco the ship was captained by Josiah Paul. In 1865, it was laid up for a year in New York. The ship was then sold in 1866 to parties in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, and was captained by J. Smith Hatfield. The <I>Great Republic</I> was purchased again in 1868 by the Merchants Trading Company and was renamed the Denmark. On a trip to load lumber for Great Britain she began to leak and was abandoned.
label: Description
content: The painting shows <I>Great Republic</I>'s portside profile, as it was rebuilt after the fire. Several small sailing vessels are also included, as well as a pilot ship with #2 on the sail. Artist James Guy Evans was born circa 1810 and died in 1859. He moved to New Orleans in 1843 and opened a studio specializing in the portraits of ships and boats. He worked in New Orleans partnered with Edward Arnold circa 1840.
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: 2005.0279.025
label: accession number
content: 2005.0279
label: catalog number
content: 2005.0279.025
objectType: label: Object Name
content: painting
label: Object Name
content: painting, oil
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: oil on canvas (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: mounted on panel (overall production method/technique)
label: Measurements
content: without frame: 28 1/2 in x 35 1/2 in; 72.39 cm x 90.17 cm
label: Measurements
content: with frame: 37 in x 44 1/2 in; 93.98 cm x 113.03 cm