Sunny Morning, Gloucester Harbor

George Wainwright Harvey (1855–1930)
Gloucester, Massachusetts, late 1880s
Oil on canvas
17 5/8 X 23 5/16 in.
Gift of the Stephen Phillips Memorial Charitable Trust for Historic Preservation
2006.44.670

Artists have long admired the charm of New England’s ports, often ignoring that they are also sites of labor and commerce. The son of a Gloucester sea captain, Harvey deftly composed this scene using the strong vertical thrust of the boat’s sails, which is sustained in its reflection. He married photographer Martha Hale Rogers and they spent many years in Europe before returning to the Cape Ann region. Her photograph shown below reveals their artistic affinity.

Schooner drying sails at William H. Jordan’s Wharf, from 375 Main St., Gloucester. Sloop-boat Wanderer, Legal Tender, (blt. Boothbay 1868) sold to Key West Fl. in 1888. Photograph by Martha Hale Harvey, 1888. From the Gordon Thomas Collection of the Cape Ann Museum Library & Archives.

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