A pink sky, purple clouds and fading sun illuminate the two-masted brig in the foreground of “Ships Stranding,” a painting by James Edward Buttersworth produced around 1860. Strandings like these were common on some beaches in New York and New Jersey at the time. The artist carefully painted the lines used by the crew to get off the ship to safety on shore. The men in the foreground have a line out to some spars, which bring good salvage money. One man is wet, wading in to tie the line to the wreckage. Almost disappearing in the dramatic darkness of the background is another ship, also stranded.
Born in London in 1817, Buttersworth studied painting under his father, the well-known marine painter Thomas Buttersworth Jr. James married Ann Plowman in 1838, and in 1845 they moved to the United States and settled in Hoboken, New Jersey. Buttersworth worked out of a small studio in Brooklyn. A story in Antiques magazine by Hellen Comstock notes how Buttersworth was “a master in suggesting transitory effects of movement and light, the greatness of the sea, and the beauty of sail.”
His first exhibit in America was held in 1850 at the American Art Union, where he sold five paintings for $25 to $40 each. Around this time, he was discovered by Nathaniel Currier of Currier & Ives. Currier was taken with Buttersworth’s ability to create dramatic scenes that were theatrical yet accurate in their depiction of large clipper ships. It was common for owners, captains and shipbuilders to commission paintings, and Currier met this demand with Buttersworth’s help. Together, they turned many of his paintings into lithographs during the printmaking studio’s busiest years.
Buttersworth is known for his skill in capturing details of motion. To truly understand the scale, movement and drama of sailing ships in the 19th century, he often worked out of small ships on the water. In later years, Buttersworth focused on painting steamships and America’s Cup races. He died in 1894 in Hoboken. It’s estimated that during his lifetime, Buttersworth painted more than 1,500 canvases. Today, his work is praised as some of the finest and most accurate portrayals of ships during the period. —Lidia Goldberg
This article was originally published in the March 2023 issue.
