Name/Title
Whaleship S.H. Waterman of Stonington, with Boats Fast to a Sperm WhaleEntry/Object ID
2026.612.1Description
Painting of the whaleship S.H. Waterman of Stonington, owned by Charles Phelps Williams. Painted around 1851 by Charles Edward Phelps Noyes, Lighthouse keeper. Mr. Noyes had been aboard the S.H. Waterman.
From the donor: "Executed by Capt. Charles Edward P. Noyes, the first mate on the bark S.H. Waterman, out of Stonington, this painting depicts the struggle of New England whalers to land a sperm whale during a voyage to the North Pacific in 1851. With a strong sense of abstract design, Noyes has created a striking image of a whaleship against a broad sweep of ocean, punctuated only by the taking of a whale in the right foreground. According to the "new London Customs House District: Enrollments, Registrations, and Licenses", the S.H. Waterman was built at Thomaston, ME, in 1849, with a length of 127 feet 3 inches; a breadth of 28 feet 9 1/4 inches; and a depth of hold at 14 feet 4 5/8 inches. She was registered at 480 tons capacity; had two decks; three masts; a square stern; and billet head. Her owner was C.P. Williams, and the ship's master was Captain Palmer Hall. This is one of three known paintings by Captain Noyes."Artwork Details
Medium
Oil on CanvasSubject
Whaleship, S.H. Waterman, whalingSubject Person or Organization
C.E.P. Noyes