Nearly 600 of his paintings have been found, and his contribution in preserving this colorful chapter in American history is profound.
His special skill was portraying the majesty, grace, and movement of sailing vessels, and viewers have a strong sense of being pulled along because of the curves and flow he conveyed in his wind-filled sails.
He applied paint thinly, primarily in oil, and used a variety of grounds including canvas, milkboard, wood panels, and metal. A meticulous draftsman, Buttersworth had an eye for exact detail, and painted clipper ships and great sailing yachts as well as historical conflicts with battleships. The paintings are usually made dramatic by stormy skies and churning ocean waves.
Another break came when he exhibited and sold paintings through the American Art Union from 1850 to 1852 in New York City, and, as a result, was commissioned to make a series of drawings for the yacht race of 1851 in England.
He supported a large family and lived in West Hoboken, New Jersey with a view of the New York harbor. He prowled the water in a small boat, which is obvious because his perspectives are that of being on the water.
| J. E. Buttersworth - 112 PAINTINGS
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America's Cup Class Yachts Racing in New York Harbor
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Mayflower Leading Puritan, America's Cup Trial Race
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Yacht Sappho
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A View of New York Sound, The 'Volunteer' in the Foreground
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Yacht Race depicting the schooner yacht Dauntless leading the schooner yacht Mohawk
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THE ROYAL YACHT SQUADRON CUP RACE, 1851
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Schooner 'Columbia' off Portsmouth Harbor, England
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Dauntless and Sappho Rounding the Mark, 1871
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American Schooner Yacht Off Dover
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Schooner AMERICA Off New York
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SCHOONER "AMERICA"
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Schooner COLUMBIA
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Schooner Idler, New York Yacht Club Regatta
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Schooner yacht (possibly AMERICA) in the Strait of Dover off England, circa 1855
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Maria Racing the Schooner Yacht America
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Sappho Racing off New York Harbor
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SAPPHO Off the Needles
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Schooner COLUMBIA
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"The Schooner Yacht DAUNTLESS and a Ship of the Line"
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The Hurricane Cup Race: Dauntless v. Columbia
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Cutter Yacht ALARM, Royal Yacht Squadron, 1841
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The First America's Cup Race
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Castle Garden
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SCHOONER YACHT “AMERICA”
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YACHT AMERICA ISLE OF WIGHT
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The Sloop Maria Racing the Schooner Yacht America
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The Match between America and Titania, 1851
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Yacht America in New York Harbor circa 1852
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America c. 1855
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Magic and Gracie off Castle Garden
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SCHOONER YACHT 'DAUNTLESS' OFF DOVER
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YACHT 'DAUNTLESS' RACING TOWARDS VICTORY
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"Magic" in New York Harbor
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Yacht Daundless in a Full Breeze
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The Cambria Arriving at New York
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America's Cup yacht, Magic
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SAPPHO Leads DAUNTLESS, 1870
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Yacht racing scene
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Racing Yachts Magic and Gracie
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Yachting scene
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Yacht America, Racing off Sandy Hook, August, 1870
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The Yacht Magic Defending America
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Yachts Off the Line
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The First America
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Yacht MAGIC, 1870
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Magic Leading Dauntless
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AMERICA'S CUP DEFENDER 'SAPPHO'
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The Dauntless off Sandy Hook
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Schooner Race
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Columbia leading Dauntless around the Sandy Hook lightship in the Hurricane Cup Race
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"Dauntless" leading "Columbia" at the lightship with "Madeleine" following
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Schooner Yacht COLUMBIA Racing Off Portsmouth
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COLUMBIA off the New York Yacht Club Station
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Sappho Leading Dauntless Around the Mark
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DAUNTLESS and SAPPHO Rounding the Mark ca. 1871
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The Yachts Columbia and Dauntless Rounding Sandy Hook
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SAPPHO Leads GRACIE and DAUNTLESS - 1871 Cape May Race
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Columbia Vs. Livonia Off Sandy Hook
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Cornelia and Magic rounding buoy 8-1/2
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The Dauntless
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The Mohawk and Dauntless off Sandy Hook, 1875
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Yachts Madeline and Sappho, Off Sandy Hook Lightship
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'MADELEINE' OFF THE BATTERY
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Mischief and Gracie America's Cup Trial Race
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Gracie, Vision and Cornelia rounding Sandy Hook in the New York Yacht Club Regatta
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New York Yacht Club Schooner 'Columbia' Leading New York Yacht Club Schooner 'Dauntless' Rounding Sandy Hook Lightship in the Hurricane Cup Race
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Yacht Sappho Beating to the Wind
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Puritan Racing Off of Staten Island
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PURITAN Races Towards The Narrows Off Brooklyn
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Cutters leading the fleet through the sound, N.Y.
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Puritan and Priscilla off Sandy Hook
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Puritan leading Genesta
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1885 Puritan vs Genesta
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Puritan And Genesta 1885
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Yacht Race in New York Harbor, PURITAN leading GENESTA
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The Sloop Galatea
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MAYFLOWER Leading GALATEA Around the Lightship, ca. 1886
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America's Cup Yachts Galatea and Mayflower
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America's Cup Race 1886; Volunteer v. Thistle
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1886 Mayflower vs Galatea
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Mayflower Leading Galatea, America's Cup
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"Volunteer" Racing off Sandy Hook
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Volunteer
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'Volunteer' Versus 'Thistle', America's Cup, 1887
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THE "VOLUNTEER" AND "THISTLE" RETURNING FROM SANDY HOOK, AMERICA'S CUP RACE, 1887
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A Race Between "Volunteer" and "Thistle"
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A RACING SCENE ON NYACK SOUND: THE VOLUNTEER IN THE FOREGROUND
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The Volunteer Rounding Sandy Hook
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The Volunteer
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Sloop yacht VOLUNTEER and USN vessels in New York Bay
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Sloop yacht VOLUNTEER leading in race on New York Bay
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Volunteer vs Thistle, Americas Cup Race
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America's Cup Race 1886; Volunteer v. Thistle
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A Race Between the Mayflower, Volunteer and Thistle
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Sloop yacht VOLUNTEER
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Volunteer and Thistle Off New York Harbor, America's Cup 1887
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Regatta with Yachts (Goelet Cup on August 5, 1887)
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A yachting scene round the lightship with the Volunteer in the lead
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Volunteer And Thistle
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"Vigilant" and "Valkyrie II" in a Strong Breeze, 1893
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1893 America Cup Race
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Cutter Vigilant with Spoon Bow c.1893
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America's Cup Yacht VIGILANT
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1893 AMERICA’S CUP
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Sloop yachts VIGILANT and VALKYRIE II
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Vigilant And Colonia America's Cup Trials
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The 1893 America's Cup Race between the Vigilant and the Valkyrie II
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Trials for Contenders for 1893 America's Cup Defense (Vigilant, Colonia, Jubilee and Pilgrim)
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Yachts Vigilant and Jubilee
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AMERICA'S CUP RACE VIGILANT AND VALKYRE, 3RD RACE, OCTOBER 9, 1892
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"Vigilant" and "Valkyrie II" Beating to Windward
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Vigilant vs. Valkrie II in the 1895 Americas Cup
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Known for marine paintings from subjects he observed in the waters off New York, James Buttersworth lived long enough to depict the early steamship era. His career spanning sixty years was dedicated to portraits of all types of ships at sea such as racing clipper ships, steamers, and yachts.
James E. Buttersworth - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
