The Wanderer, New Bedford
Robert James Pailthorpe (1926–1999)
Charcoal sketch print, 1960s/70s
Framed with silver-toned metal frame and dark grey mat
The Wanderer was the last square-rigged whaling bark to sail from New Bedford, Massachusetts. Built in Mattapoisett in 1878, she made 23 whaling voyages over a 46-year career before being wrecked in a hurricane off Cuttyhunk Island in 1924. Known as the “Black Wanderer,” she is one of the most iconic vessels in American maritime history and starred in the 1922 silent film Down to the Sea in Ships.
Pailthorpe (Providence, RI) was a US Navy veteran and prolific marine artist active in the 1960s–70s, known for dramatic charcoal renderings of historic sailing vessels and America’s Cup races. Signature printed in plate lower right.
*There is a patch of surface damage just to the left of the ship at midpoint.
