It’s 1814, and the American schooner Prince de Neufchatel sails from Boston. One of the most famous privateers of the War of 1812, Neufchatel raided British merchant ships in the English Channel and beyond until her eventual capture in the Atlantic. In this 10-by-17-inch watercolor, maritime artist Victor Mays renders one of her final days at sea. 

Adam and Noah Brown built the boat in New York around 1812. for Madame Florry Charretton. The schooner was most likely designed by Christian Bergh. She went to sea in March 1814 and quickly took nine prizes in the English Channel. In June, she took six more. Known for her impressive speed, she could effectively slip away from pursuing ships. 

In 1814, Neufchatel was involved in one of the most violent privateer clashes in the war. The British frigate Endymion discovered her during a calm off Nantucket Shoals and sent 111 men in five boats to attack. Neufchatel drove off the attackers and limped back to Boston. She was issued a new commission in December of the same year, and put to sea again. Eight days out, from Boston, three British frigates chased her. Neufchatel raced ahead before she was finally overtaken and forced to surrender. She was taken back to England and broken up in 1815. 

Mays’ familiarity with his subject matter came from a long career at sea. Born in 1927 and raised in Bronxville, New York, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy in World War II and was commissioned upon graduation from Yale following the war. Mays took several art electives at Yale. After college, he wrote and illustrated the sea novel Fast Iron. At the same time, he served as a Naval Intelligence officer on active and reserve service. 

After retiring from the Navy, Mays pursued maritime painting full time. He painted highly detailed, historically accurate works and released only six to 10 per year. His paintings won an Award of Excellence almost every year at the Mystic International Marine Art Exhibition and he twice received the Rudolph J. Schaefer Maritime Heritage Award. Mays died in 2015. Today, his work is in the Mystic Seaport Museum’s permanent collection, as well as private collections around the world.

Courtesy of the J. Russell Jinishian Gallery, jrusselljinishiangallery.com.

December 2025