The high seas have always played a significant role in America’s history, from its discovery and founding as a new nation to its enduring military might. In the late 19th century, the country’s key maritime events were memorialized in a series of imaginative and bold paintings by the eminent seascape painter Edward Moran. Each artwork in “The Edward Moran Series of Historical Paintings Representing Important Epochs in the Maritime History of the United States,” depicts one of 13 different scenes. Some incidents are drawn from the distant past, while other episodes are contemporaneous to Moran’s lifetime.
Early Life
Moran (1829–1901) was one of the United States’ most distinguished marine artists. He was born in Lancashire, England, which borders the Irish Sea, into a family of weavers. A street artist was the first person to teach him to draw. Enamored with the practice, Moran would sketch on the fabric he was weaving. At the age of 15, Moran and his family emigrated, living first in Maryland before settling in Philadelphia. There, Moran trained as an artist in the studio of a maritime painter. Two of his younger siblings went on to become artists.
By the mid-1850s, Moran was exhibiting paintings at the prestigious Pennsylvania Academy. In 1861, he traveled with his brother Thomas back to England for further art training at the Royal Academy. While in London, he was deeply inspired by the work of the late English Romantic painter J.M.W. Turner. The Philadelphia Museum of Art describes Moran’s early output: “Strong contrasts of light and dark, a swirling merger of sea and sky, and a convincing grasp of natural detail contribute to a sensational effect of chaos and danger.” In addition, Moran drew on 17th-and 18th-century Dutch seascape paintings to craft his complex compositions. His careful study and innate talent led to the creation of unrivaled seascapes throughout his career in terms of technicality and atmosphere.
Numerology of ‘13’
Theodore Sutro, a lawyer and friend of Moran wrote a definitive account of the series in his 1905 book, “Thirteen Historical Marine Paintings by Edward Moran Representing Thirteen Chapters of American History.” Sutor provided a fascinating explanation of the numerological significance of the series and its relation to the country’s history:
“This number seems to have been interwoven in many particulars with the history of our country. The original colonies were thirteen, and also the first States; the first order for the creation of a navy was for thirteen war ships; there were and still are thirteen stripes, and there were originally thirteen stars, on our flag; on our coat of arms a mailed hand grasps thirteen arrows, as do also the left talons of the eagle, while in its right is an olive branch with thirteen leaves; there were also thirteen rattles on the snake on the first American flag.”
Epochs in Maritime History
The sixth work in the series is “Henrick Hudson Entering New York Harbor, September 11, 1609.” Moran painted multiple versions of this account, and the Berkshire Museum owns an example dated to 1892. The work shows a Native American in the foreground perched on a rocky outcrop. He registers surprise as he spots an approaching ship in the distance. The atmospheric light illuminates picturesque clouds and shimmering waters.
Moran used the south end of Staten Island as his setting, specifically a view across Raritan Bay towards Sandy Hook. This was the area marked in Henry Hudson’s logbook as the starting point of his famous exploration. Interestingly, when the painting was recently cleaned an x-ray revealed an underlying image. The canvas had originally depicted a New York City harbor scene featuring a group of people, an unusual composition as Moran is not known for portraying multiple figures. For some unknown reason, Moran painted over the work with the Hudson scene.
The eighth painting, “First Recognition of the American Flag by a Foreign Government, 14 February 1778,” portrays the Continental Navy ship Ranger, an 18-gun ship manned by a crew of 140 and led by Capt. John Paul Jones. The American ship is shown receiving a salute by the French Fleet, commanded by Adm. La Motte Picquet, at Quiberon Bay, France. This historic event occurred in mid-February; earlier that month, France had recognized American independence and had signed a treaty with the burgeoning nation. Moran painted vigorously the rollicking waves, ocean spray, and windswept flags.
This picture is followed by “Burning of the Frigate Philadelphia in the Harbor of Tripoli, February 16, 1804.” The subject is a seminal event during the Barbary Wars: A daring mission commanded by Lt. Stephen Decatur to board the captured USS Philadelphia and destroy it so that the enemy could not make use of it. Decatur led 75 volunteers in a disguised ketch, a small sailing boat with two masts, into the Tripolitan harbor. Pretending to be a British merchant vessel that lost anchors in a storm, they received permission to moor alongside the Philadelphia. Subsequently, they boarded their seized frigate and set it ablaze, escaping afterwards. Moran captures superbly the vibrant flames and billowing smoke of the USS Philadelphia.
Moran’s Legacy
Moran died in 1901, a few years after completing his final picture in the series. During his lifetime, the complete works were briefly available for public viewing on only two occasions in Philadelphia and Washington, both receiving critical acclaim. His widow faced a lengthy litigation battle against the executor of Moran’s estate over ownership of the paintings. Her lawyer, Sutro, played a crucial role in her court victory, and she was given physical possession of the works in 1904. Later that year, the series was given a prominent exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The art critic for the “New York Herald” summed up their significance:
“The exhibition of these pictures of scenes connected with the history of the United States is not only an artistic but an educational event. Edward Moran was probably the strongest marine painter of the United States. … No more artistically valuable and educationally instructive exhibit has been made in New York than that of these paintings of Edward Moran.”
Although Edward Moran was widely acclaimed in his lifetime, his fame has since been eclipsed by that of his brother Thomas. Thomas Moran, who received his earliest artistic education from Edward, is renowned for his panoramic Western landscape paintings that capture the spirit of America’s natural world. Still, Edward’s patriotic paintings offer a thrilling and unique chronicle of American history and illuminate the importance of the Navy. The vast scope and artistic achievement of this series, the artist’s tribute to his beloved adopted homeland, is well worth contemplating and remembering.
