Carved and painted Thirty Eight Inch Carved Eagle with Painted Banner with the Slogan "Don't Give up the Ship in Red, White and Blue Paint with Addtional Paint Decorations by John Hale Bellamy circa 1885.
InformationJohn Hale Bellamy (American 1836-1914) Carved, and painted pine Bellamy eagle, American, circa 1890. This eagle is one of the most popular forms and size within Bellamy's body of work. It features a spread wing eagle. The head and neck are carved from a separate piece of wood and applied to a base between the wings. The neck sweeps upward and the carved head has all of Bellamy's stylistic features. There is a dramatic carved sweeping white painted banner that extends left and right from the eagle’s mouth. The banner has a reverse curve with a swallowtail at each end. The left side of the Banner has the painted word “Don’t and the right side of the banner is longer and states in blue paint “Give up the ship”. The banner lettering is all done in a fancy shadow lettering pattern and there is a red painted border surrounding the banner. Below the neck and running along the bottom side of the left wing is a red, white and blue shield. The sheild is painted blue at the top and has a pair of carved white painted stars. At the beginning of each side of the banner near the mouth are an additional two pairs of carved white painted five pointed stars. The eagle retains all of its original painted surface.
(FA-682)
Condition: The eagle retains its original painted surface. The painted surface is well preserved. The colors are very rich and have not experienced much fading.
Reference 1: Smith, Yvonne Brault, "John Haley Bellamy Carver of Eagles", Hampton, NH: Portsmouth Marine Society, 1982, pp.68-69.
A somewhat larger and similar eagle is illustrated on page 73. This eagle has a very similar look with a the book example however the example in the book lacks any painting on the banner and does not have the "don't Give Up the Ship" painted slogan.
Reference 2: “American Eagle: The Bold Art and Brash Life of John Hale Bellamy” by James Craig, Published by the Portsmouth Marine Society, Publication Number 34, 2014. The are two examples of reproduction of Bellamy eagles of similar sizes. The “Don’t Give up the Ship” banner is poorly painted in both copies and does not compare to the strong and finely painted banner as appears in the eagle described above. On page 120 Is a white painted Bellamy Eagle plaque with similar stretched wings and banner. This eagle has a different painted slogan. Bellamy used several different slogans on his various eagle flags and banners however the “Don’t give Up the Ship is the most common and popular.
Dimensions: (Approx) Length 25 1/2 inches; Height 9 inches.
circa 1885
