The more than 300 paintings created by Robert Salmon during his Boston period (1828-1842) are considered to be the finest and most sought after of his extensive output. Salmon arrived in Boston during its heyday of Maritime prosperity. The bustling harbor, congested with sailing ships, and the myriad harbor islands offered Salmon an incredible wealth of subject matter to choose from.
The considerable esteem Salmon enjoyed in Boston was generated by a previously unequaled public patronage by many of Boston's "Merchant Princes". One of the most notable was Captain Robert Bennet Forbes, who originally purchased this fine work and commissioned several others from Salmon, one in exchange for a boat that allowed the artist to get on the water to better record his harbor views.
This painting shows an American merchant sailing ship, after research and consultation with the Mystic Seaport Museum, that we strongly believe to be the Packet LINTIN that carried Forbes to China on his first voyage in 1829, wearing the fifteen star ensign, heading out through Broad Sound Channel between Long Island Head and Deer Island. Another of the Boston Harbor Islands, Lovell's Island appears low on the ship's port bow. Salmon's superb draftsmanship and luminous glazing of color define this work as an excellent example of his celebrated technique.
