Boston Harbor by Fitz Henry Lane 1856 inv 203

Fitz Henry Lane (1804-1865); Boston Harbor; 1856; Oil on canvas; Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Fort Worth, Texas; 1977.14. Boston Harbor. The setting for this busy scene is based on a drawing by Lane of Boston as viewed from Governor’s Island and apparently updated in 1853-54 Boston Harbor, 1850s (inv. 158). The steeple of the First Baptist Church (completed in 1853) appears near the foremast of the approaching coastal steamer, confirming a post-1853 date for this painting. It is close to noon, with sunlight passing through breaks in an overcast sky to illuminate the steamer and ships’ sails in the middle ground, while vessels in the foreground float darkened and becalmed. More detail: http://fitzhenrylaneonline.org/catalog/entry.php?id=203