AUTEUR : Franklyn Fairchild
REF : 0
EDITION : 1930
DATE : 1930
COURSE : 5
DESCRIPTION SITE :
Extremely attractive
vintage framed Fine Art print depicting the America's Cup Race of 1930 between
the American yacht The Enterprise and Sir Lipton's British entrant The Shamrock
V. This was the beginning of the famous J-Class yachts under the Universal Rule
and the continued dominance of Herreshoff constructed yachts (designed by
Burgess). Despite the Great Depression the race was contested with the manager
of the NY Syndicate, Harold Vanderbilt at the helm of The Enterprise. This is
the era of perhaps the most romantic (and fast) of all the big yachts as they
sported incredibly long over hangs, flush decks, gorgeous sheer lines, and tiny
transoms. The sporting rivalry between the two blue blood clubs New York Yacht
Club and the Royal Thames Yacht Club were still raging and it was Lipton's (tea
fame) last effort, he died the next year. A gloriously romantic period of
magnificent sailing yachts that stands in sharp contrast to the branded
corporate trimarans of today. This wonderful fine print captures the action off
Newport, RI and incorporates a beautiful depiction of the race with a nice
written history memorializing the event.
There is a depiction of a yacht
in the bottom right hand corner and the print is pencil signed by the artist,
Franklyn Fairchild. The caption on the top reads "copyright in Great Britain,
all rights reserved". There is a copyright on the art itself, © M&B which
stands for Morris and Bendien Inc., a printer/publisher out of NYC. We've seen
a few of these out in the market but I must say none as attractively framed as
these. Very salty vintage frames in black paint with gold pin stripe that really
fit the art nicely. They have a classic appearance that would be striking in
almost any setting and perfect for a proper library, den, tavern, or mantle.
They are matted and have non-glare mat glass. UV protection unknown.
We
believe the print to be lithograph but leave a little room for error as we've
also seen it presented as an engraving. It is definitely not a process print and
there are no tonal dots evident. The printing is extremely fine.
The
Mystic Seaport Museum lists these as lithographs circa 1930's. This particular
piece was gifted in 1955 as evidenced by the inscription on the back (see
pictures) and the framing could have been done at that time or perhaps earlier.
Approximate measurements of the actual image: 15"x11.25", inside edge of
the mat: 16.35"x14.35", and the outside frame: 22"x19".
The print is
de-bossed which adds further striking detail to this remarkable piece of
yachting history. We do not have much history on Mr. Fairchild himself and if
anyone has a history we would be glad to note it here.
Flaws: The prints
themselves are excellent with maybe the slightest tonal discoloration in the
'white' areas, the mats have heavy discoloration probably from acid intrusion
(non-archival matting). We would have the mat replaced but would keep the frame
as it matches the art perfectly. The frames have some "patina", some minor wear,
nicks, denting, etc. as represented in the photos. We feel these minor
imperfections don't detract and lend character to an overall impressive
presentation.
Please view our sister print by the same artist depicting
the 1885 race: Puritan (designed by Burgess Sr.) vs. Genesta framed in the same
format. They make an incredible pair. NOTES AMERICA-SCOOP : LICENCE : Autorisation en cours |