[Original U.S. Naval watercolour]

WALKE, Henry

Published by Publication Date: 1847

Watercolour depicting several American battle ships. Dimensions: 13 1/8 x 22 inches. Original watercolour by Admiral Henry Walke, a remarkable survival from an artist and naval hero of the Mexico War and the Civil War. The artist and famous naval officer Henry Walke was born in Princess Anne County, Virginia, on December 24, 1808. He entered the United States Navy in 1827, and was promoted to lieutenant in 1839. During the Mexican War, he served as the executive officer of the U.S.S. Vesuvius which was assigned to the Gulf Squadron under Commodore Perry and participated in the capture of Vera Cruz, Tobasco, Tuxpan, and Alvarado. He later served with distinction with the Union navay the Civil War, and even engaged in sea battles with the Confederate navy in European waters. This later period of his career was documented in his book, Naval Scenes and Reminiscences of the Civil War, published in 1877. The present watercolour is unsigned and undated, but it bears clear signs of Walke's style from the period when he issued the sought-after Naval Portolio (1847-48), particularly in the rolling waves in the foreground and the grey skies on either side of the ship. The painting is similar to Nos. 1 and 3 in the Naval Portfolio series, but the present example is more serene, displaying another side of Walke that emphasizes his ability to capture an American brig with precision and clarity. Walke participated in the naval actions against Mexico in the spring and summer of 1847, specifically the bombardment and capture of Vera Cruz, the launching point for Scott's expedition against Mexico City, and Commodore Perry's expeditions up several rivers along the coast of Vera Cruz and Yucatan. He was a skilled but evidently self-taught artist, who executed numerous drawings and watercolors throughout his naval career. All commentators praise Walke for his accuracy as an artist and observer, including modern historians who have visited the actual sites he depicted. Equally, historians of the graphic arts have generally considered his art among the best of the Mexican War, on par with the works of Carl Nebel. Walke evidently executed all of his artwork on the spot. Eight Walke watercolours were published in the Naval Portfolio by the well-known New York firm of Sarony & Major, but the present example suggests that Walke may have hoped to publish other Mexican War lithographs celebrating the American victories. See Huseman, Sandweiss & Stewart, Eyewitness to War. Seller Inventory # 40877

Bibliographic Details

Title: [Original U.S. Naval watercolour]
Publication Date: 1847