Imaginary Regatta of America's Cup Winners

Provenance

Recorded as from Massachusetts. Purchased in 1948 by Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch; gift to NGA, 1953.

Imaginary Regatta of America's Cup Winners

American 19th Century

1889 or after

Accession Number

1953.5.90

Medium

oil on canvas

Dimensions

overall: 67.8 x 119 cm (26 11/16 x 46 7/8 in.) | framed: 80.6 x 131.4 x 5 cm (31 3/4 x 51 3/4 x 1 15/16 in.)

Classification

Painting

Museum

National Gallery of Art

Washington, D.C., United States

Credit Line

Gift of Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch

Tags

Painting Impressionist & Modern (1851–1900) Oil Painting Canvas American

Background & Context

Background Story

Imaginary Regatta of America's Cup Winners from 1889 or after is a marine painting depicting an imaginary regatta of the yachts that won the America's Cup—the oldest international sporting trophy and one of the most important symbols of American maritime prowess. The 1889+ date places this after the first America's Cup race of 1870, and the imaginary regatta subject—bringing together winners from different years in a single race—demonstrates the American pride in maritime achievement that the America's Cup symbolized. The painting combines marine painting with American national pride in a way that is characteristic of 19th-century American maritime art.

Cultural Impact

Imaginary Regatta of America's Cup Winners is important in the history of American maritime art because it demonstrates the national pride that the America's Cup inspired in 19th-century Americans. The imaginary regatta format—bringing together winners from different years—shows that the America's Cup had already become a symbol of American maritime prowess by the late 19th century, and the painting combines marine painting with patriotic sentiment in a way that is distinctively American.

Why It Matters

Imaginary Regatta of America's Cup Winners is American maritime pride on canvas: an imaginary race of America's Cup winners from different years that demonstrates the national significance of the America's Cup in 19th-century American culture. The 1889+ painting combines marine painting with patriotic maritime sentiment.