JAMES HAMILTON (PA/CA, 1819-1878)

"After the Gale", oil on canvas, signed, titled verso & dated 1872, depicting rough seas punishing a struggling barkentine & distant steamer, in gilt molded frame with name tag, OS: 38" x 57 1/2", SS: 29 1/2" x 50". Restorations by Julius Lowy Frame & Restoration Co., NY, 1991. Work was lined, cleaned and inpainted. Original text from back of canvas copied to lining.Born near Belfast, Ireland, Hamilton emigrated with his family at age 15, to Philadelphia, where he studied briefly at the Academy, but was mostly self-taught. Initially earning his living as an engraver of illustrations, he eventually established himself as 'The American Turner', known for his romantically lit and situated marine scenes. He traveled to England to study Turner's paintings, opened a studio where he trained the Moran brothers. He had studios in Philadelphia and Delaware, presented a painting to Dickens (based on Dombey & Son) that was the only gift Dickens accepted on his American tour. Hamilton died from a fever at age 58, in San Francisco as he was setting out on his first world tour. Provenance: From Private Collection, Harpswell, ME.