Oil on canvas featuring a whaling scene signed and dated lower left C.S. Raleigh 1877. At the center of the image is a large sperm whale rolled over on his back with his jaw open showing his teeth on the lower jaw, he has smashed the whaleboat on the right to pieces and the six crew seem to have survived amongst the rubble. A second whale boat with six colorfully dressed whaleman has the harpooner standing in the front of the boat about to throw his harpoon into the whale. Just behind the harpooner one can see the sail from the third whaleboat with the fourth boat on the far left on the horizon. To the left is the Whale Ship sitting hove-to at an angle showing her stern. The ship’s davits are clearly shown without boats. The sky and water have bright colors and the painting has a semi primitive style typical of Raleigh’s work. He is a narrow band of red along the horizon suggesting the subject is taking place near sundown, This active whaling scene shows many dangerous activities performed by the whaleman. The stove boat is also a common element shown in many classic whaling scenes. Original paintings of active American whaling by identified known American artist are very rare.
Condition of Painting: The painting is in very good condition and has not been lined. On the left side of the canvas is an old small puncture repair and modest scattered in painting.
Condition of Frame: The frame is a gold leaf surfaced molded frame which is probably original. It has a nice, aged patina with a few surface loss and some discoloration.
Dimensions of painting: Height 27Inches, Width 35 ½ Inches
Reference: “4 Yeats A – Whaling, Charles S. Raleigh Illustrator” by Philip F. Purrington, Published for the New Bedford Whaling Museum by Barre Publishers- Barry MA 1972
Provenance: The Dietrich American Foundation was established in 1963 by H. Richard Dietrich, Jr. (1938–2007) to collect, research and document historically important examples of American decorative and fine arts, primarily of the eighteenth century. The Foundation’s collections comprise furniture, silver, ceramics including Chinese export porcelain made for the American market, Pennsylvania German decorative arts, historical documents, manuscripts, maps, prints and paintings. Other fields of interest include military and naval history, American maritime industries, with an emphasis on whaling, and depictions and writings about the exploration of the West.
Richard Dietrich, a native of Pennsylvania, began to collect American art and artifacts as a young man. An English major in college, he was interested in people and stories. This led him first to collecting books and then other objects that give history a human context. He saw his collection as tangible links to understanding this country’s story and often chose objects out of a desire to connect with specific people of the past, frequently selecting items that were by known makers or with a strong family history.The Foundation’s mission is to not only acquire historically and aesthetically important examples of American fine and decorative arts but also to share these objects with museums and other public institutions. The holdings are made available for long-term and special exhibit loans and have benefited more than a hundred institutions. Many of the Foundation’s objects are on view in the American wing of the Philadelphia Museum of Art in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Artist Biography: Charles Sidney Raleigh was born in Gloucester, England in 1830. At just ten years old, the ocean was calling and he ran away from home, leading him to a life as a merchant seaman. After 30 years sailing, he set roots in Massachusetts and started a family. It is with the end of his sailing career that his artistic one began and by 1881, he was an established house painter and decorator. Concurrently, he was painting maritime pictures and ship portraits. At the time of his death, it is believed he painted over eleven hundred works.