Resorts at Sea is officially Murals on the High Seas

So the person who knows the least about building a website is building a website. I've said from time to time, whenever tackling a challenging project, that "I don't know enough not to try." Uh ... Yeah, if that doesn't fit now ...

The home page. The use of circular images gives the impression of portholes.
The tag line: It is art. It is history. Is it art history? (Ay, there's the rub.) 
A little cheesy, but there's no need to get too serious.

It all began with Resorts at Sea and a general interest in artworks created for American passenger ships. (You can read earlier entries by typing in "resorts at sea" in the search area at the upper right corner.) It was fun to see who did what and where it was installed. As I continued to dig, roadblocks kept cropping up with this national mural competition in 1940 to decorate American President Lines' President Jackson-class, seven ships designed for round-the-world passenger/cargo service. It was the second largest competition sponsored by the Section of Fine Arts, and it's become a veritable footnote. I aim to change that.

The New Deal portion has been the most intriguing chapter. 

Originally, the website was to focus on the Jackson-class, but many of the winners received commissions for other liners, so the scope expanded. Focusing on newly-built ships, the story starts with Matson Line's Malolo in 1927 and ending with the nuclear ship Savannah in 1962; covering about 50 ships total. The Malolo utilized art depicting scenes of Hawaii and California, as that was her route, while the Savannah is unique for artworks loaned by the Whitney Museum of American Art.

The story ends with the nuclear ship Savannah, which is still afloat in Baltimore.

Organized by decade (1920s, 1930s, etc.), these American ships will be placed in an even broader context, as you'll be able to look at artworks on foreign liners, like Empress of Britain, Bremen, Normandie, Queen Mary, Andrea Doria, and Rotterdam, to name a few. The fun part has been locating images with identifiable artworks in clear focus; not always an easy task. As a result, not all artworks can be shown.

It's been amazing the amount of resources consulted and/or gathered in this project; 
book covers are shown in the "portholes." Many will be shown in the Odds & Ends tab.

Phase One will take care of the basics: a little history, minor observations, and the obligatory Facebook page to drive traffic and conversation. (And acceptance that the site will continue to evolve, and not be 100% perfect right out of the gate.) Phase Two will include more observations, comparisons, exploration of themes, and the possible addition of more ships. Phase Three will include a book deal, traveling exhibit, perhaps a lecture tour, because why not? If we're going to do this, let's do it up right.

The Peabody Essex Museum, in cooperation with the Victoria and Albert Museum, just wrapped up Ocean Liners: Speed and Style, dedicated to all aspects of the ocean liner culture. Alas, I wasn't able to make the trip to see it, but I do have the book, and it's very well done, but with little emphasis on our side of "the pond." *grumble grumble* It does make for a nice benchmark, though.

Anyway, I think things are on track to launch sometime in March 2018. See you on the "maiden voyage!"

Murals on the High Seas + Arshile Gorky

(I'm tentatively renaming my Resorts at Sea project to Murals on the High Seas, as that's really what it's all about: the artwork, mainly murals that were created for the public spaces on American passenger ships. We'll see if it sticks.)

Monday, August 3 was my first day at the National Archives (College Park, Maryland), and it was amazing. I was the proverbial kid in a candy store. After signing in and getting my ID card, I hightailed it to Still Pix, the main repository of most, if not all, government photographs. The focus of this trip was to explore the Section of Fine Arts/U.S. Maritime Commission competition to decorate the President Jackson-class of round-the-world passenger-cargo ships.

The Section of Fine Arts (the Section), had photos taken of all entries for their competitions. These made a nice reference to award secondary commissions and provided images for press releases. The first folder contained a 40 page list of the artists who entered the Maritime Commission competition. I had hoped, but was not sure if such a list would exist, and to hit it in the first folder was incredibly fortunate.

Section competitions were anonymous ones. Each entry had a sealed envelope containing the artist's name and address affixed to the back, which would only be opened when the winner(s) were selected. Until then, they were assigned a number and referred to by that number. There were hundreds of photos. However, they would not lay flat. And being glossy, the ceiling lights played havoc with getting a clean shot. (I photographed the photos. Scanning them at 25 cents each, was a prohibitive expense, one I may revisit though.) With great effort, I was able to get clean-ish shots.

Now ... You have to start somewhere, so who was Entry #1?

Wow! This is a stunning piece which would have gone into the dining room had it been chosen, but much too modern for the Section. (American President Lines, owners of President Jackson, definitely would've followed through on their threats to paint out anything they didn't like.) The circular pieces were to flank the mural, but were abandoned due to a combination of budgetary reasons and the lack of entries.

This was my first time looking at these files, yet Entry #1 looked familiar. That mystery would have to wait. I was on a tight schedule; no time for ruminating.

When I returned home, I started sorting through this digital pile of material I had gathered. (Hokey-smoke, Bullwinkle, what have I gotten myself into?) Fortunately, few surprises in regards to the overall timeline of this competition, with many things fleshed out a little bit more. The big "get" was the photos of the entries. It's natural to wonder what wasn't chosen. Seventy-two pieces had to be selected from over 1,400 entries; leaving a lot left over.

Back to Entry #1.

It was done by Arshile Gorky, a name I've seen, but one I know little about. His style was a precursor to Abstract Expressionism, among his better known works are his Newark (NJ) Airport murals. Going through my growing collection of New Deal art books and exhibit catalogs, I revisited For the People: American Mural Drawings of the 1930s and 1940s. (You can read the text here.) The image in this exhibit was similar, but not exact. Then I came across this website. You can see the color version of what's in the above photo. (You'll have to scroll down some.) The dimensions listed do not jive with what's listed in For the People, which was an entry for the 1939 New York World's Fair, but they do agree with the scale requested by the Section for the Maritime Commission competition. It appears Gorky revised the New York World's Fair entry for the latter competition.

The evidence is compelling, and I've forwarded these thoughts to the National Gallery of Art, where this piece is currently held. And if I can get an exhibit about the Maritime Commission competition together, the Gorky piece would be a must have.

Resorts at Sea: May: The Cost of Art

The 1980s was when the cruise line industry began replacing their older ships, some dating back to the 1950s. Today ships measure anywhere from 150,000 to over 200,000 gross tons. Can you imagine getting excited over a new ship that’s a mere 36,000 tons? Well, that was the size of Carnival’s Tropicale in 1982, arguably the first ship of the modern cruise industry.

These new ships had to be decorated, and whenever a new ship debuted, the phrase “million dollar art collection” was usually attached. But what did it take to decorate the ships in my Resorts at Sea study?

Early indicators found that when taking account for inflation and size of ship, the cost of art was comparable. However, as I'll explain later, I didn't factor in all the variables.

 

At left is a sketch by Bernard Perlin for one of the hall spandrels for President Hayes.

At right is an entry from Perlin for the Rio Hudson-class competition. (Images courtesy

of Bernard Perlin and Michael Schreiber.) Below is a page from the April 1941

issue of American Artist magazine with the Rio Hudson competition highlighted. 

The first numbers I got were courtesy of David Hendrickson. I had the results of the Section of Fine Arts competition for six ships of the President Jackson-class, he had the announcement. So like baseball cards, we traded. A total of $6,940 ($115,900 today) was allotted for each ship. Bernard Perlin won two commissions: hall spandrels and library mural for President Hayes for $3,150 ($52,590). While they furnished him with the marinite panels, he had to provide the paint plus whatever else he needed to do the job, so I'm not sure what he netted. There was a second ship art competition in the spring of 1941 for the four ships of the Rio Hudson-class, but money and interest was waning.

The second number came from Henry Dreyfuss' book Designing for People (1957). Dreyfuss wrote the art budget for Independence and Constitution was $100,000 each ($972,000).

I had delayed this post in order to recheck my math, but I found I wasn’t comparing apples to apples. Art collections on today’s cruise ships are a mix of newly created artwork and purchased art. By purchased art I mean works that have already been created and found at a gallery, or part of a corporate collection. Holland America, Royal Caribbean, and Celebrity have amazing collections. Holland America recycles art from past ships, dating back to 1938’s Nieuw Amsterdam, plus new works, plus antiquities several centuries old. Celebrity has pieces of Olympic (Titanic’s sister), Normandie, and United States in specialty restaurants. So while the numbers give some indication, there's no real correlation.

Resorts at Sea: November

The image to your right is what’s known in the academic world as a “primary source.”

A recently acquired addition to my collection, this Section of Fine Arts publication, Bulletin No. 22, dated September 1940, is the list of awards for the Competition for the Decoration of the SS PRESIDENT JACKSON [sic]. Though I’ve created such a list from a variety of sources, this is the proverbial Grail. (Well, aside from the correspondence notifying the winners.) It also mentions a report presented by the jury evaluating the works submitted and ultimately chosen which I would really love to track down. And I cannot believe it took them only four days to examine the 1,462 designs, but that’s what it says. Alas, there are no pictures of the winning designs in this publication.

Now I need to find the bulletin announcing the President Jackson competition for the submission guidelines. Only here will we find size requirements that have only been hinted at elsewhere.

One of these works found its way to the National Gallery of Art in DC. The de Kooning mural for the President Jackson’s library was done in four sections, and is 60 inches high and 190 inches wide. The Jackson was requisitioned for World War II service in 1941, laid up in 1958, and scrapped in 1973. This mural was given to the NGA in 1971, and is currently in storage.

That two year discrepancy made me wonder if any other works had been rescued. I asked the NGA for further details regarding the provenance of the de Kooning. They were unaware of this competition and eager to help. Their file notes said someone was working up a book regarding de Kooning and contacted the Maritime Administration on the whereabouts of this library mural. Arrangements were made to board the Jackson, which was at anchor in the Reserve Fleet in Suisun Bay. They examined the mural, and prepared it for removal and shipment.

With the exception of the dining room, all the public rooms were on the Promenade Deck. During a walk around, they took notice of another large work, Adelaide Briggs’ overmantel in the main hall and that was later shipped to the American Merchant Marine Museum in early 1973. The NGA also said sometimes works of art from the various WPA projects were ultimately transferred to the Smithsonian American Art Museum, and try contacting them to see what they know. One of the curators at the SAAM was unaware of this competition and wrote off these works as lost.

Given the fact that practically all of the art in this project has been destroyed over the years, I had prepared myself for more of the same; though finding the de Kooning was a glimmer. In looking through a Shipyard Bulletin (magazine for Newport News Shipbuilding) summarizing the restoration of the America after her World War II service, I saw a photo of the officer’s mess, and in the background was a mural. I emailed Bill Lee – historian for the America – and he confirmed that aside from a few pieces of sculpture, the art work was either exposed or covered up.

Officer's Mess on the West Point (ss America in peacetime).

At right is Barry Faulkner's decorative marine map.

The mess was in the First Class Smoking Room.

So … the art onboard the President Jackson-class traveled the globe during World War II, was laid up along with the ships by the late 1950s, and destroyed when those ships were scrapped in the mid-1970s. Man that sucks. However, one of the articles I’ve turned up is now in the files of the National Gallery of Art, and that’s very cool.

Resorts at Sea - September 2012

Those who even have a passing interest in ocean liners are aware of the etched glass panels in the First Class Ballroom on the United States. Edge-lit, the undersea motif was created by Charles Gilbert and executed by Harriton Glass Company. Many of the panels are on display in the SS United States Restaurant on board the Celebrity Infinity.

The May-June 1952 issue of the Shipyard Bulletin, put out by the Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company, said the sandblasting technique used to create these panels was “the first time this method of carving has ever been applied to fine art.” 

Au contraire …

Cleveland, Ohio native Elsa Vick Shaw designed a glass mural that ended up in the dining room of the 1941-built passenger-cargo liner President Hayes. Made up several panels, they depict a lush South Pacific scene, which was part of the route of these "Round the World" American President liners. While Shaw designed it, Rose Iron Works did the execution.

Elsa Vick Shaw's sketch of the enormous etched glass mural for the President Hayes.

Taken from The Studio, February 1941.

 

I spoke recently with Bob Rose, of Rose Iron Works about this mural. There are two sample panels in their museum, one of which you can see here. Bob’s dad, Melvin, did the work. Sadly, he passed away in February of this year. Bob is working on preserving the company history and was able to get his dad on video talking about the early days. Even though Mr. Ross was a friend of Shaw, he recalled that they got into a bit of a discussion on how the breasts of the native girls were turning out. Shaw was not happy. (It’s all in the details.)

The President Hayes made only one voyage from March to June 1941. After that trip, the Navy took her over. The Hayes served in World War II, and had trooping duties well into the 1950s, when put into the Marad Reserve in Suisun Bay. In 1975, the President Hayes was scrapped.

As the Hayes was the third of the President Jackson-class, and only made one voyage, few photos exist. (Generally, the first born gets the most attention ... “Marcia! Marcia! Marcia!”) A search into American President Line archives is going on right now. I will be over the moon if interior shots of the Hayes are found, but sadly, odds are these sketches may be the only pieces that remain.

Resorts at Sea: July 2012

As I was writing last month’s Resorts update, I was just completing what one may call a devouring of Who Was Who in American Art. It’s a reference guide to American artists active from 1898 to 1947. Roughly 50% of my artist list for this project was covered; better than I had hoped. The book, as well as encouragement and new avenues of exploration, was provided by a new acquaintance.

Also in my greedy clutches is an article from The Studio detailing the works onboard the President Jackson-class of 1940, which is a boon. Why? Because it’s illustrated!

 

The President Jackson of 1940. Seven ships were in this class. Only two
returned to serve for American President Lines.

I’ve also identified about half a dozen artists still living. The youngest is 87, the oldest 95. I’ve written them, and so far have heard from two. One did a mural for the United States, and is possibly the last of the artists who did work for any of the big public spaces on the superliner. The other did work for the President Hayes, one of the aforementioned President Jackson-class. The latter was decorated through a contest held by the Maritime Commission and the Section of Fine Arts, a Federal Works Agency; basically a piece of FDR’s New Deal.

There are several books out there regarding the hundreds of post office murals created through the New Deal, but only a handful of ships were decorated in this manner. Over 400 artists entered over 1,400 designs as part of this contest. If there are images of each entry somewhere in some archives, one could almost do a book on those alone.

But let’s try to finish this one first.

 

 The 1950 President Jackson on the left, the super Del  Norte on the right.

I stumbled across the Wolfsonian Library during a recent Google search. There I found a rendering of a proposed super Del Norte, for the Delta Line, of which I found a brief mention in the Pacific Marine Review. From the outside, it’s easy to mistake it for the ill-fated President Jackson-class of the early 1950s. The President Jackson’s were requisitioned by the Navy for the Korean Conflict and never saw service under the American President Lines flag. Both were designed by the firm of George G. Sharp. This has led me to definitely include a chapter on the ships that were designed, but never made it off the drawing board. (It’s been on the bubble.)

In a weird twist, I think I may have found the patent application describing Emile Norman’s technique used in creating his decorative screens for the Observation Lounge of American Export Lines’ Independence. If it’s not, then it’s what led up to it. And I really want to dig behind an article I have regarding American Export’s plans for their own version of the United States. She would’ve been roughly the same size, but not as fast.

While this picture is in the Tourist and Cabin Class brochures,

it's really the playroom for First Class on the ss United States.

I’ve also been focusing on Charley Harper. If I ever have kids, they will be raised on Looney Tunes, and the works of Charley Harper. His illustrations are pure elegance and simplicity. He did the prints that hung in the Tourist Class Children’s Playroom on the United States. I have a brochure with photos of the Tourist Class public spaces, however, the one noting the children’s playroom is actually for First Class. Whoops! To be fair, the records say Charles Harper did the prints, but given that Charley Harper illustrated a children’s book in 1950, and the playroom prints are labeled The Goose That Layed the Golden Egg, Little Boy Blue, Three Little Pigs, Jonah and the Whale, Rock-a-Bye Baby, and Humpty Dumpty, I think I’m safe in making the leap.

The more I dig into the backgrounds of these artists, it’s not hard to conclude that the arts play a vital role in our society. Many of the artists had stints as teachers – they paid it forward. Many of them have works in museums and collections around the world. They've created a legacy to inspire generations to come.