McCulloch (Hugh M.), United States Revenue Cutter
Artist
James S. Bard
(1815 - 1897)
Date1866
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions36 1/4 x 56 in.
ClassificationsOil Painting
Credit LineCharles F. Smith Fund
Terms
Object number1961.18
DescriptionThe majestic steamboat was Bard's lifelong passion. Working on commission for the shipbuilders, Bard strove for accuracy, taking precise measurements of the vessels. Some claimed that they "could lay down plans for a boat from one of his pictures." The "McCulloch", named for Secretary of the Treasury Hugh M. McCulloch, was a side-wheel steamer built in Baltimore. She was commissioned for the Revenue Cutter Service, the predecessor of the Coast Guard, in December 1865, shortly before Bard painted this portrait. The ship was first stationed at New Orleans and patrolled the Gulf of Mexico. Bard collaborated with his twin brother, John, until his death in 1856. The Bard family lived at Chelsea, the New York farm of Clement Moore, known for his poem "The Night before Christmas".
On View
Not on view
Christo [Javacheff] (1935-2020) and Jeanne-Claude (1935-2009)
2004
