nonprofit org. u.s. postage paid 18 Johnny Cake Hill • New Bedford, Massachusetts 02740-6398 new bedford, ma 508 997-0046 • www.whalingmuseum.org permit no. 29 WINTER HOURS (January-May): Monday through Saturday 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Sunday 12:00 noon to 4:00 p.m. The New Bedford Whaling Museum is governed by the Old Dartmouth Historical Society. Subscription to this publication is a benefit of membership. For more information about membership, call 508 997-0046 ext. 115 or visit www.whalingmuseum.org. All rights reserved. This publication may not be reproduced in whole or part without the expressed written consent of the New Bedford Whaling Museum. Save the Date Over the Top, Around the World Saturday, August 7 THE from Johnny Cake Hill BulletinWINTER/SPRING 2010 A Visual Record of the Past: Artists of Southeastern Massachusetts by Llewellyn Howland III From TabLE OF Contents: In Depth-Local Artists, by Llewellyn Howland III ...................................... 3 Curatorial Vignettes ..................................................................................... 8 the Helm: Loomings, by Robert K. Wallace .................................................................. 9 2009 had all the hallmarks of being a Why the Map Stayed Home, by Robert Hauser ........................................... 15 particularly dismal year. Therefore, you must Bourne Building Renovations ...................................................................... 17 excuse my euphoria when I tell you that not only did donors contribute over $2 million to our capital campaign, but that you enabled us Board OF Trustees MUSEUM STAFF to end our fiscal year well into the black. To John N. Garfield, Jr., Chair Karen J. Allen, Manager of Events borrow an accolade from TIME, our Person Lucile P. Hicks, First Vice Chair and Community Relations of the Year is You. John Garfield and I must Gurdon B. Wattles, Second Vice Chair Cynthia Atwood, Visitor Services Joseph E. McDonough, Treasurer Jean C. Banker, Registrar start this article by paying special tribute to Elizabeth Huidekoper, Assistant Treasurer Maria Batista, Senior Accountant so many of you who contributed to our 2009 Llewellyn Howland III, Clerk Scott Benson, Preparator Salvatore F. Battinelli Christine Brown, Manager—Retail Operations and Annual Fund, the capital campaign plus the Nathaniel J. Bickford Visitor Services year-end Endowment Challenge. This is a John W. Braitmayer Sarah M. Budlong, Education Assistant really terrific accomplishment and you made Roger P. Cheever Daniel Christian, Visitor Services Carl J. Cruz Maureen Coleman, Senior Director, Foundation & it so. On behalf of the trustees, volunteers Armand Fernandes, Jr. Government Relations and staff, we thank you for your steadfast and Barbara B. Ferri Casey Correira-Macy, Staff Accountant strong support of our mission. Michelle N. Hantman Jennifer Cruz, ECHO Program Asst. Edward M. Howland II Tara L. Duff, Asst. Manager, Museum Store Here’s an idea during these chilly months— Patricia A. Jayson Michael P. Dyer, Maritime Curator hunker down with us. January through May William T. Kennedy Nela Francisco, Membership Manager Frances F. Levin Stuart M. Frank, Ph.D., Senior Curator promise to deliver exciting speakers, programs Steven D. Lubar Gregory Galer, Ph.D., Vice President-Collections and exhibits. I hope you will join us at many D. Lloyd Macdonald & Exhibitions of them. The popular Sailors’ Series returns Sarah Kendall Mitchell Sarah M. Gibeault, Museum Store Eugene Monteiro Robert Hauser, Conservator with great tales of cruising in the vicinity of Michael J. Moore Mary Hodgkins, Museum Store the Leviathan. Man and Whales builds on last Rita M. Pacheco Rose E. Horton, Visitor Services year’s debut and continues with an examina- Jeffrey L. Raymon Barry W. Jesse, Facilities Donald S. Rice Michael Lapides, Photo Curator and Director of tion of current scientific research. A new Frances D. Ricketson Digital Initiatives series, Communities of New Bedford, is the Brian J. Rothschild Pamela L. Lowe, Supervisor—Visitor Services Hardwick Simmons Sara Meirowitz, Director of Education start of a multiyear look at the stories that bind Janet P. Whitla Kate Mello, Photo Archivist this city together. Harvey Wolkoff Henry Moniz, Facilities Our ECHO Performing Arts Festival re- Arthur Motta Jr., Senior Director, Marketing Museum ADVisorY CounciL and Communications turns with featured Fado singer Jose Vinagre Calvin Siegal, Chair Jessica Niemann, Visitor Services of New Bedford joining artists from Alaska, Lisa Schmid Alvord Laura C. Pereira, Librarian Hawaii, Mississippi and the Peabody Essex Robert L. Austin John F. Pimental, Facilities Mary R. Bullard Robert C. Rocha Jr., Science Programs Manager Museum in March. Then, an equally diverse Truman S. Casner James Russell, President and CEO group joins us from around the country at Lewis M. Coco John Silva, Foreman Anne F. Fazendeiro Alison Meyer Smart, Director of Individual Giving the Scrimshaw Symposium in May. Should Norbert P. Fraga Kristen Sniezek, Vice President—Administration you need to fill those school vacation weeks Frederic C. Hood with activities, bring the kids along to our Davis C. Howes Peter T. Kavanaugh IN MEMORIAM free workshops and see how learning happens William N. Keene outside the classroom. Arthur H. Parker William D. Strohmeier, Advisory Council 1995-2009, John S. Penney, Jr. Vice President 1992-1994, Trustee 1989-1992. You might recall that in an earlier message, John C. Pinheiro I stated our goal of a 100% rotation of our ex- Carl Ribeiro EditoriaL comments hibitions throughout the museum within three Gilbert L. Shapiro Alison Meyer Smart, [email protected] Charles T. Toomey years. By way of an update, the highly antici- Laura Pereira, [email protected] Elizabeth H. Weinberg 18 Johnny Cake Hill pated renovations in the Bourne Building will Richard B. Young New Bedford, MA 02740 allow for the long awaited Azorean Whaleman VoLunteer CounciL Gallery. A new Conservation themed exhibit EXecutiVE Committee The mission of the Old Dartmouth Historical Society- will help us understand whales in our world John Brindisi, President New Bedford Whaling Museum is: “to educate and Alice Larson, Vice President interest all the public in the historic interaction of today. Medium sized exhibits are rotating Donna Sargent, Recording Secretary humans with whales worldwide; in the history of Old through our other rooms and galleries. Look- Judy Giusti, Corresponding Secretary Dartmouth and adjacent communities; and in regional ing forward, we plan two exciting exhibits Mary Crothers, Treasurer maritime activities.” examining the founding of New Bedford and the maritime role of the region during the Civil COVer ImaGE View of New Bedford from War. But that’s not all. Look for a dramatic Fairhaven, by William Allen Wall new paintings gallery to display our New Bedford artists when we renovate the old Bank WhaLinG Museum on the web of Commerce Building—this is the original location of the Old Dartmouth Museum from www.whalingmuseum.org/ back in 1907. whalingmuseumblog.org/ www.flickr.com/photos/nbwm From The Helm continued on page 23 facebook: www.facebook.com/whalingmuseum twitter: http://twitter.com/whalingmuseum 2 Artists of Southeastern Massachusetts Taken from a talk presented by Llewellyn Howland III at the annual meeting of the American Society of Marine Artists in New Bedford, 12 September 2009 Of all Ryder’s paintings my favorite is the one titled "Gay Head." Let me tell you why. The house in which I grew up in Padanaram is located about a half a mile from the Buzzards Bay shore. Although trees blocked my view to the far left and far right, I could see from my south window boats sailing on the bay, strings of barges running up and down from the Cape Cod Canal, the occasional fishing boat At one time the now defunct Fall inward or outward bound. Very occasionally, when the wind was in Antiques Show used to be an annual fixture at the now defunct World Trade the northwest, I could see clear through Quick’s Hole to the loom of Center in Woburn, Massachusetts. Back the Vineyard shore beyond. in the ’70s it was a big show—perhaps as many as 250 dealers—and a popular one. I attended my first Fall Antiques Show clean, bright copy of Vanitie: Her First sponded, quite defensively I now realize. Ten Racing Years . by George Nichols. “The price is $15, and if you are a dealer Vanitie was a magnificent bronze-hulled you get a 10% discount.” We settled for sloop designed by William Gardner that $13.50, and I went on my way. lost out to the Herreshoff sloop Resolute A few days later I boasted of my during the war-postponed 1920 Ameri- remarkable triumph to a good friend and ca’s Cup trials. Vanitie may have been an longtime dealer. “I’ve already sold the also-ran, but she remained a great favor- book for $275,” I said. ite of American racing sailors throughout “Maybe so,” my friend said, “but there the 1920s, and here was an account of are two things wrong with your story. her racing history, written by a regular The most important thing you did wrong member of her afterguard and privately was to offer the dealer more than the printed in an edition of less than 100 price he had on the book. You might as copies. I had never seen the book before, well have told him that he wasn’t compe- much less owned it, and when the dealer tent to be a bookseller. It was an insult, threw me a price of $15, I could scarcely frankly. Even a fool has his pride. Don’t believe my good fortune. “That’s not do it again.” enough,” I told the elderly dealer, hand- “What was my second mistake?” I ing him $30 in cash. “No,” the dealer re- asked, my own pride—or vanity—now in Woburn in 1977, the year I quit my job in publishing to become a full-time antiquarian maritime bookseller and an occasional dealer in marine art.