An Incident of Whaling
Bradford began his career painting marine vessels in the whaling port of New Bedford, Massachusetts. He made seven expeditions to the Arctic regions during the 1860s, one of the first American artists to do so. Based on sketches and photographs made on site, his detailed seascapes record ships and their rigging as well as the light, color, and atmosphere of the dramatic, desolate environs. This view of a whaler trapped in ice floes was completed in Bradford’s New York studio, likely in the 1880s, when the American commercial whaling industry had long been in decline.
Artwork Details
- Title:An Incident of Whaling
- Artist:William Bradford (American, 1823–1892)
- Date:1880s
- Culture:American
- Medium:Oil on canvas
- Dimensions:22 x 36 in. (55.9 x 91.4 cm)
- Credit Line:Bequest of DeLancey Thorn Grant, in memory of her mother, Louise Floyd-Jones Thorn, 1990
- Object Number:1990.197.1
- Curatorial Department: The American Wing
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William Bradford (American, 1823–1892)
1873
William Bradford (American, 1823–1892)
1873
William Bradford (American, 1823–1892)
William Bradford (American, 1823–1892)
ca. 1860–61
William Bradford (American, 1823–1892)
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