Artwork
Imaginary Regatta of America's Cup Winners
Imaginary Regatta of America's Cup Winners is an oil painting. It dates from 1889 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
- Inscription
- Inscribed:on second ship from right, near horizon: SA[N]DY HOOK NO 10
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The painting shows a fanciful regatta featuring winners of the America's Cup, a symbol of maritime prestige and competitive yachting achievement in the late 19th century. It is categorized as a cityscape genre, though its subject is a nautical celebration rather than an urban scene, reflecting contemporary fascination with yachting culture among America's elite. The work is an oil on canvas painting created by an American artist in 1889 or later, and it entered the National Gallery of Art collection through a gift from Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch in 1953.
Technique & Style
Imaginary Regatta of America's Cup Winners is executed in oil on canvas, a standard medium for late nineteenth-century American painting.
Imaginary Regatta of America's Cup Winners is executed in oil on canvas, a standard medium for late nineteenth-century American painting. The composition takes the form of a horizontally oriented cityscape, measuring 67.8 cm in height by 119 cm in width. The broad, landscape-format support accommodates the panoramic treatment of the regatta scene, allowing the depiction of multiple competing yachts and the surrounding harbor to unfold across the picture plane. The work is classified as a painting within the National Gallery of Art collection in Washington, D.C.
History & Provenance
The painting Imaginary Regatta of America's Cup Winners is dated to 1889 or later and was created by an artist identified as American 19th Century. Executed in oil on canvas, the work was originally recorded as originating from Massachusetts. Its documented ownership begins with its acquisition in 1948 by Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch.
The piece subsequently entered the public trust when the Garbisches donated it to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., in 1953.
The painting is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. Its provenance traces back to Massachusetts before being purchased in 1948 by Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch. The couple subsequently gifted the work to the museum in 1953. The provided sources do not list specific inventory numbers or detail any public exhibition history for this piece.
Context
Imaginary Regatta of America's Cup Winners is an oil-on-canvas painting attributed to an American 19th-century artist, created in 1889 or later. Measuring 67.8 cm in height by 119 cm in width, it depicts a cityscape scene and is housed in the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. The work entered the collection through a gift from Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch in 1953, having been purchased in 1948. Its subject matter engages with maritime competition and national identity, situating it within broader 19th-century American artistic interests in urban and coastal landscapes.
Scholarship on the piece remains limited, though its provenance and material characteristics have been documented in institutional records and catalogues raisonnés.
Overview
The work is an oil painting that depicts a bustling maritime scene populated by numerous sail‑powered vessels and a handful of steam‑driven boats. Set against a cloudy sky, the vessels, distinguished by white sails, navigate a blue expanse of water, some bearing American flags. The composition captures the lively atmosphere of a competitive sailing event.
Artist & collection
Capture of the "Savannah" by the "U.S.S. Perry"
New York Harbor
Ship "Arkansas" Leaving Havana
Coasting Vessels with a Harbour
Boston Harbor
Ship Southern Cross in Boston Harbor, 1851
The Golden State Entering New York Harbor
A frigate and Dutch fishing boats off the Isle of Wight
New York Harbor with Pilot Boat "George Washington"
Return of Napoleon from Elba
The United States Frigate "President" Engaging the British Squadron, 1815- The Yacht America Winning the International Race, 1851