{HISTORY}

Maritime adventure and beautiful nautical art meet in this lively and engaging portrait print of the 1850 clipper ship Sea Serpent.

From a painting by American artist and illustrator John O'Hara Cosgrave II (1908-1968), this vintage mid-20th century edition by Penn Prints New York captures all the vibrant colors and the exquisite detail that John's art was known for. 

An 19th-century, east coast ship built in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, by George Raynes, the Sea Serpent traveled through many ports on both the East and the West coast as well as making trips to England, Hawaii, the West Indies, and parts of Asia.

A marvel in her day, the Sea Serpent was the pride of New England shipbuilding and a remarkable example of high-quality construction and craftsmanship. Known for her speed, she was built for delivering time-sensitive cargo for the merchant trade and was in service from 1850 to 1891.

Her final voyage carrying crew and timber was meant for Quebec, Canada, but sadly she never reached the Canadian coast. Ultimately lost at sea in the far North Atlantic, the Sea Serpent was abandoned by her crew in the summer of 1891 when the hull began taking on water. Eerie sightings of the unmanned Sea Serpent were spotted floating in the Atlantic for three months before she eventually sank into the ocean. 

Featuring a gorgeous arrangement of colors, John was particularly noted for detailing all the rigging lines of sailing vessels in his maritime art, something many other artists rarely captured to such an extent. Trained in California and Paris, John was a prolific illustrator throughout his career and was also the author of several children's books on sailing vessels. Tragically, he died from a brief illness at the age of 59 in Falmouth, Massachusetts.

This mid-20th century lithographic Penn Print captures the Sea Serpent in all her glory in her first year conquering the seas with vibrant colors, full sails, and energetic waves. On close inspection, viewers will see several crew members depicted, two flags, and all that exquisite detailing of the rigging lines. 

Included here in this listing is a freight notice that appeared in the Evening Post for the Sea Serpent docked at South Street seaport on December 20th, 1850,  just a few weeks before she was heading to California to deliver cargo.

{SPECIAL FEATURES}

• Hard-to-find vintage print 
• Large size
• Colors include teal, turquoise, peacock, cream, beige, ivory, black, coral, espresso, walnut, and lemon

{CONDITION}

In lovely vintage condition, this lithograph is printed on high-quality heavy but flexible paper. It retains clean, crisp, clear imagery with bright colors. There is the slightest suggestion of creasing in the top left and right corner as well as the bottom right corner on the white borders, but that can be easily smoothed out in framing. This print contains no spots, stains, or fading. Please see photos.

{SIZE}

Measures 18" inches (length) x 14.25" inches (width)