VARIOUS PROPERTIES
Attributed to THOMAS CHAMBERS (1808- circa 1866)
The Constitution and the Guèrierre, a pair of paintings
Details
Attributed to THOMAS CHAMBERS (1808- circa 1866)
The Constitution and the Guèrierre, a pair of paintings
oil on canvas
25¼x35½in. (sight) each (2)
The Constitution and the Guèrierre, a pair of paintings
oil on canvas
25¼x35½in. (sight) each (2)
Further details
Although English by birth, Thomas Chambers came to the United States in the early 1830s where he worked as a portrait, marine, and ornamental painter. He is known to ahve worked in New York City, Boston, and Albany well into the 1860s.
The painting illustrated here is of the frigate U.S.S Constitution in its famous battle with the HMS Guèrriere on August 19, 1812. Several printed versions of the battle between the U.S.S. Constitution and HMS Guèrriere exist. In Abel Bowen's The Naval Monument Containing Official and Other Accounts of all the Battles Fought between te Navies of the United States and Great Britain during the late war... (Boston, 1816) Bowen not only verbally but visually depicted the sequence of events in a series of popular prints including, "The Constitution's Escape from a British Squandron" (p. 1), "The Constitution in Close Action with the Guèrriere (p. 8), and "The Constitution in Close Action with the Guèrriere (p. 10). Likewise, a variety of other print sources demonstrate the popularity of the story of Constitution amd Guèrriere. A multi-scened broadside by William Strickland of Philadelphia called "Sprigs of Laurel" showed all the U.S. Naval victories of the War of 1812 including the Constitution & Guèrriere; and would have been at least one print source for this painting. Two other single prints published by Pierie and Kearney of Phildelphia dramatized the charred remains of the Guèrriere for a willing American audience, "ENGAGEMENT Between the U.S. FRIGATE CONSTITUTION...and the BRITISH FRIGATE GUÈRRIERE..." showed the heat of the battle and may also have served as the print source for the painting.
The painting illustrated here is of the frigate U.S.S Constitution in its famous battle with the HMS Guèrriere on August 19, 1812. Several printed versions of the battle between the U.S.S. Constitution and HMS Guèrriere exist. In Abel Bowen's The Naval Monument Containing Official and Other Accounts of all the Battles Fought between te Navies of the United States and Great Britain during the late war... (Boston, 1816) Bowen not only verbally but visually depicted the sequence of events in a series of popular prints including, "The Constitution's Escape from a British Squandron" (p. 1), "The Constitution in Close Action with the Guèrriere (p. 8), and "The Constitution in Close Action with the Guèrriere (p. 10). Likewise, a variety of other print sources demonstrate the popularity of the story of Constitution amd Guèrriere. A multi-scened broadside by William Strickland of Philadelphia called "Sprigs of Laurel" showed all the U.S. Naval victories of the War of 1812 including the Constitution & Guèrriere; and would have been at least one print source for this painting. Two other single prints published by Pierie and Kearney of Phildelphia dramatized the charred remains of the Guèrriere for a willing American audience, "ENGAGEMENT Between the U.S. FRIGATE CONSTITUTION...and the BRITISH FRIGATE GUÈRRIERE..." showed the heat of the battle and may also have served as the print source for the painting.