Under Full Sail

Under Full Sail from the second quarter of the 19th century depicts a ship under full sail in the oil and casein on plaster medium that was used for wall paintings and decorative panels in American houses of the period. The plaster and lath support indicates that this was originally a wall painting or overmantel panel—a common form of interior decoration in American houses of the early 19th century, when ship portraits and marine subjects were painted directly on walls and panels to decorate the interiors of coastal houses.

Under Full Sail is important in the history of American folk art because it demonstrates the tradition of wall painting that decorated American houses in the early 19th century. The oil and casein on plaster and lath support indicates that this was originally a wall painting—a type of interior decoration that was common in American coastal houses where marine subjects provided both decorative and commemorative functions for families connected to the sea.

Under Full Sail is American folk marine painting on the wall: a ship under full sail painted in oil and casein on plaster and lath, the medium used for wall paintings that decorated American coastal houses in the early 19th century. The second quarter 19th century painting records the tradition of marine interior decoration in American folk art.