Painting, Tea Clipper
Painting, Tea Clipper
Previous
Next
Usage conditions apply
- Description
- The house flag displayed on the mainmast identifies the owner of the unidentified clipper ship as Thomas Wardle, a New York merchant. In 1848, he took over as operator of the Charleston Ship Line after the former operator, George Sutton, died. The Charleston Line provided regular service between Charleston, South Carolina and New York, participating heavily in the cotton trade. Wardle, however, was not only involved in the Charleston Line ships. He owned or partially owned several clipper ships including San Francisco, Extreme, and Adelaide. According to the New York Daily Times article "Our Shipyards" August 13, 1853, San Francisco, built by Abraham C. Bell in New York, was intended for the California and China trades. Another source places Wardle in the East Indies and California service around 1840 with a slight variation on his house flag. The painting shows clipper ship, junks, and other small Chinese craft in a busy harbor. Human figures can be seen on the junks, including the captain of the American ship, who is using a spyglass to see the shore. A rocky landscape is in the background. Flying an ensign of 1848 on the mainmast, the ship was probably painted while docked at Whampoa.
- Sunqua was a 19th century Chinese painter. He was one of the better-known Chinese artisans, although paintings by him are rare. He is known for painting Western ships in Chinese ports.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Object Name
- painting
- painting, oil
- date made
- ca 1840
- maker
- Sunqua
- Physical Description
- oil on canvas (overall material)
- Measurements
- without frame: 28 in x 38 in; 71.12 cm x 96.52 cm
- with frame: 36 in x 46 3/4 in; 91.44 cm x 118.745 cm
- ID Number
- 2005.0279.014
- accession number
- 2005.0279
- catalog number
- 2005.0279.014
- Credit Line
- Gift of CIGNA Museum and Art Collection
- subject
- Maritime
- See more items in
- Work and Industry: Maritime
- Cigna Maritime Collection
- Transportation
- Art
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
Nominate this object for photography.
Our collection database is a work in progress. We may update this record based on further research and review. Learn more about our approach to sharing our collection online.
If you would like to know how you can use content on this page, see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use. If you need to request an image for publication or other use, please visit Rights and Reproductions.
Note: Comment submission is temporarily unavailable while we make improvements to the site. We apologize for the interruption. If you have a question relating to the museum's collections, please first check our Collections FAQ. If you require a personal response, please use our Contact page.
