Stobart Painting of Nantucket Harbor

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Print of Stobart Painting of Nantucket Harbor Presented to Historical Association

THE NANTUCKET Historical Association has been presented a handsome print of the painting of Nantucket Harbor in 1835 by the marine artist John Stobart. Titled "Nantucket — The Celebrated Whaling Port in 1835" the print is one of the artist's final proof prints and is a colorful and exciting scene, depicting the harbor during the height of its 19th century whaling prosperity. Famouse island whalers such as the Granges, President and Reaper, are shown at the wharves preparing for voyages to the Pacific; the packet schooner Enterprise and the steamboat Telegraph may be seen, and such landmarks as the Old Mill, the Pacific Club, when it was the Custom House, are shown. Conspicuous in the foreground is Brant Point with its lighthouse and shipyard.

The print is a gift to the Association by Harry Carpenter, the owner of the original painting,- and the artist John Stobart. A native of England, where he learned his remarkable technique in marine art, John Stobart has become one of the most exciting of our modern artists in his field. He has been living in America for eight years and recently moved to California to take up residence. Before painting his Nantucket scene he spent several weeks on the island in research. The current issue of American Heritage magazine has an article on Stobart illustrated with color prints of some of his sea and river port scenes. Peter Stanford, President of the South Street Seaport, in New York City, says Stobart, as a marine artist, is in a class by himself — "an observer, a debater, a man who likes to push to the heart of things."

Stobart's characteristic style is clearly manifest in his study of Nantucket and its harbor. A fine, vigorous quality stamps this canvas; the whaleships at the wharves strong but with a symbolic verve as well; the town a colorful background is there and yet the influence of the seascape is the predominant theme.

Some of the flavor of the past is reflected in this fine print — a part of the island's history which needs to be recaptured. The men who built the whaling community that led the world shaped her destiny because they dared to keep fast to their principles. They would have been in the forefront of those of us today who oppose the developers and their efforts to convert the island into a modern suburbia.

Copies of Stobart's "Nantucket" are available at a number of shops in the town. It is a print of color, artistic skill and historical reminiscense, and considered by many as John Stobart's best canvas.