Artwork
Ship "Arkansas" Leaving Havana

Ship "Arkansas" Leaving Havana is an oil painting by the Romanticist artist A. Hashagen. It dates from 1847 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art. A.
- Inscription
- Inscribed:lower right of image: A. HASHAGEN.; across bottom: Ship Arkansas Capt Nehemiah Laribee. Left the Port Havana. MAY 1847.; on banner of foreground ship: ARKANSAS; on banner of distant ship on left: RUSSIA; on ship in left foreground: CUBA
About this work
Technique & Style
Created in 1847, this marine painting is executed in oil paint on a canvas support. The work measures 57.5 cm in height and 72.7 cm in width. As a depiction of a vessel departing a harbor, the piece adheres to the conventions of the marine genre, utilizing the fluid properties of oil to render the maritime subject matter.
History & Provenance
" Following their acquisition, the Garbisches donated the work to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.
The marine painting Ship 'Arkansas' Leaving Havana by A. Hashagen was created in 1847 using oil on canvas. Its early ownership history is partially obscured; records indicate the work was located in Pennsylvania prior to its acquisition by the collectors Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch. The Garbisches obtained the piece in 1956, though their internal records do not specify the seller or the exact date of purchase, instead noting an accession code of "N66" and a penciled file notation stating the painting was bought "from N66."
Following their acquisition, the Garbisches donated the work to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., later that same year, where it remains part of the permanent collection.
Overview
A. Hashagen’s 1847 oil on canvas, titled Ship “Arkansas” Leaving Havana, portrays a vessel departing the Cuban harbor. The composition places the ship in the foreground, its canvas fully unfurled, while the distant skyline of Havana rises behind it, rendered in muted blues and greens that suggest early morning light.
Subject & Meaning
The work captures a moment of transition, the Arkansas cutting away from the city’s silhouette. By emphasizing the ship’s forward motion against a tranquil harbor, the painting conveys both the vigor of maritime travel and the quiet departure from a familiar port.
Context
The piece aligns with Romantic‑era interests in nature’s power and the drama of travel. Maritime subjects were popular among artists who sought to depict the interplay of human endeavor and the vastness of sea and sky, a theme evident in Hashagen’s rendering of the Arkansas.
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