After a Long Cruise
Born deaf and mute, Carlin initially pursued a career as a painter of portrait miniatures, later turning his attention to genre and landscape scenes. He was untiring in his efforts on behalf of people who shared his condition and helped to establish the National Deaf-Mute College (now Gallaudet University) in Washington, D.C., in 1864. "After a Long Cruise," a comic view of daily life on a dock, displays the bawdy humor popular at midcentury. Three drunken sailors wreak havoc by accosting a well-dressed black woman and knocking over a fruit-and-nut vendor’s stand. Carlin’s attention to detail, seen especially in the costumes and ships’ riggings, and his use of vibrant color are striking.
Artwork Details
- Title: After a Long Cruise
- Artist: John Carlin (American, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 1813–1891 New York)
- Date: 1857
- Culture: American
- Medium: Oil on canvas
- Dimensions: 20 x 30 in. (50.8 x 76.2 cm)
- Credit Line: Maria DeWitt Jesup Fund, 1949
- Object Number: 49.126
- Curatorial Department: The American Wing
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