Antique Painting of a South Seas Whaling Scene, attributed to a Captain E. Howes, mid 19th Century

Antique Painting of a South Seas Whaling Scene, attributed to a Captain E. Howes, mid 19th Century, an oil on canvas folk art seascape of the South Seas Whale Fishery with panoramic view of four whale ships among a large pod of Sperm Whales; there are five whale boats lowered and in pursuit, with twelve whales visible on the surface; in the foreground is a dramatic scene with a whale boat right on a whale, all the crew visible in detail with mate at the tiller, all oarsmen in mid-stroke, and the “boatsteerer” standing in the bow with harpoon raised to dart; in the background rises a stark rocky island; the painting is signed on the reverse “Capt. E___ Howes.”

The artistry is surprisingly good for an amateur, and features some rather painterly brush work. The depiction obviously is benefited hugely by the artist having been an eye-witness whaleman of the period. The painting is in good condition, but in the distant past there clearly had been a small puncture repaired and in-painted in the upper left corner. The painting would likely benefit from a cleaning.

A Captain Edward Howes sailed the whale ship VESPER out of New London, CT in 1851 – 1855. Another Captain Ezekial H. Howes commanded the whale ship CAMILLUS on two voyages out of Sag Harbor in 1839 – 1840 and 1840 – 1841, and the whaling bark BARBARA on two voyages out of Sag Harbor in 1842 – 1843 and 1843 – 1844. The latter voyages are so short that it is unlikely the CAMILLUS or BARBARA made it out of the Atlantic, suggesting that the more likely artist here is Edward Howes of the Ship VESPER, dating this painting to the 1850s (or shortly afterwards if painted from memory). It is interesting to note that the largest vessel placed in the front and center of the fleet is ship-rigged, while the others all appear to be brig or bark-rigged.

Measures: 14-3/4 in H x 22-3/4 in W
Framed: 18-1/2 in H x 26-1/2 in W