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Catalog entry

inv. 49
The "Britannia" Entering Boston Harbor
1848
Oil on panel
14 3/4 x 19 3/4 in. (37.5 x 50.2 cm)
Initialed lower left: FHL

Commentary

This picture has long been thought to depict the arrival of British steamship "Britannia" in Boston Harbor in 1840, however the signal flags displayed by the vessel indicate that although it is part of the same Britannia class as the steamship "Britannia," it is actually a ship named the "Caledonia."

The important event of the arrival of the "Britannia" in 1840 established a strong commercial link with Great Britain, and made Boston the major American port for the transmission of mail and cargo to and from Europe. Steamships were familiar sights to Bostonians by this time, but it was noteworthy to see such an important vessel.

The Britannias were the first ocean steamship liners, built to maintain regular departures "full or empty," as stipulated in a pre-advertised schedule. (1) Four in number, they were constructed for the twice-monthly conveyance of mail from Liverpool to Boston via Halifax, the requirement being reduced to once monthly in winter. This was arranged after Samuel Cunard and his partners had won a contract from the Admiralty in 1839 (which included a clause placing the steamers and the crew at the Admiralty's disposal in the event of war).  
 
Although it was Cunard who raised the funds to float the British and North American Royal Mail Steam Packet Company (popularly abbreviated to Cunard Line), it was Robert Napier—the well-known Clyde shipbuilder—who was technically responsible for the venture's resounding success. Due to his efforts and advice, the service began in July 1840 with "Britannia" arriving at Halifax after a passage of ten and a half days from Liverpool—a considerable improvement on the passages of sailing ships, since they were obliged to tack against the prevailing westerlies. Lane painted the "Britannia" at least twice, both times depicting the ship floundering in rough seas: Cunard Liner "Britannia", 1842 (inv. 259) and Cunard Liner "Britannia", 1842 (inv. 298).
 
This picture is a peaceful view that was probably based on a small pencil sketch he had made on the spot some years earlier: Cunard Steamship Entering Boston Harbor (inv. 197). The steamship is shown moving through Boston Harbor with several sailing vessels and an American steamer seen behind it. Two rowboats filled with men salute the arriving ship. Lane portrays Bostonians welcoming the new service; according to accounts they greeted each steamer's arrival with growing enthusiasm.
 
The steamer in Lane's painting displays her British ensign at the stern, as was required on entering port, and the conventional United States courtesy flag at the foremast serves as a token of respect to the host country. At the mizzen masthead is a plain blue flag bearing a central silver star. This portrays the founding company's second house flag, rarely seen represented. (It was succeeded in 1880 by a red flag, more often depicted, that featured a golden lion rampant.) Reigning supreme at the main masthead is a characteristic blue Elford Code flag-hoist reading "3362."
 
A copy of the 1845 Signal Book for Boston Harbor identifies the steamer as the Britannia class Caledonia. There is no doubt about which of the four steamers is portrayed, since the same source records "Britannia" as having number 3366. The remaining two ships in the Britannia class, "Columbia" and "Acadia" (the old name for Nova Scotia), were allotted adjacent numbers: 3364 and 3365, respectively.
 
Additional confirmation of the steamer's identity as "Caledonia" instead of "Britannia" stems from her figurehead: a simple full-length female figure. Since "Britannia" was the prototype of the class, her female figurehead shows her in full regalia complete with helmet, shield, and trident, whereas that of her consort "Caledonia" appears as a simple full-female figurehead lacking her customary sword and shield, tam-o'-shanter, and sporran. Precisely such a figurehead is still preserved after being washed ashore when the Scots sailing brig "Caledonia" was later wrecked off the coast of Cornwall in 1842 (while on a voyage to Gloucester).The choice of a Scottish theme might be viewed as a well-deserved acknowledgment of Robert Napier and the Scottish shipbuilding industry on the River Clyde (near Glasgow) for their vital technical role in the overall planning and logistics which were vital to Cunard's success.
 
An equally important aesthetic aspect of this painting is also connected to the Clyde shipbuilding industry. Before emigrating to the United States—settling in Boston—the British maritime painter Robert Salmon spent many formative years depicting the unsurpassable scenery of the River Clyde and the shipping industry there. Salmon's characteristic style was later to exert considerable influence over Lane and others of the developing luminist school.
 
Given Lane's explicit choice of subject, this splendid little painting might be fittingly described as "The Cunard Britannia-Class Steamer 'Caledonia' entering Boston Harbor."    
 
– A. Sam Davidson
 
(1) C.R. Vernon Gibbs, British Passenger Liners of the Five Oceans. (London: G.A. Putnam's Sons, 1963), 175.

Related Work in the Catalog

Supplementary Images

The "Britannia" Entering Boston Harbor (detail of signal flags)

Provenance (Information known to date; research ongoing.)

Vose Galleries, by 1980
Norma and Roger Alfred Saunders, 1980
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 2000

Exhibition History

National Gallery of Art, Washington, District of Columbia, Paintings by Fitz Hugh Lane, May 15–September 5, 1988., no. 30, ill. in color, 57, The "Britannia" Entering Boston Harbor.
Traveled to: Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Mass., 5–31, 1988.

Published References

Wilmerding, John. Paintings by Fitz Hugh Lane. Washington, DC: National Gallery of Art; in association with Harry N. Abrams, 1988., ill. in color p. 57, cat.30.
Wilmerding, John. Fitz Henry Lane. Gloucester, MA: Cape Ann Historical Association, 2005. Reprint of Fitz Hugh Lane, by John Wilmerding. New York: Praeger, 1971. Includes new information regarding the artist's name.
Craig, James. Fitz H. Lane: An Artist's Voyage through Nineteenth-Century America. Charleston, SC: The History Press, 2006., pl. 13.
Citation: "The "Britannia" Entering Boston Harbor, 1848 (inv. 49)." Fitz Henry Lane Online. Cape Ann Museum. http://fitzhenrylaneonline.org/catalog/entry.php?id=49 (accessed April 19, 2024).
Record last updated October 20, 2015. Please note that the information on this and all pages is periodically reviewed and subject to change.
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