Cutwork picture

Date1828

Maker Captain Frederick Williams

MediumWatercolor and iron gall ink on paper

DimensionsOH: 19"; OW: 14 1/2"

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number2008.306.1

DescriptionElaborate picture cut from tan-colored paper depicting ships and storms on a blue background. Drawings and text added to the cut paper in brown and teal ink.
Label TextIn 1818, Captain Frederick Williams came to America from Germany. He settled in Norfolk, Virginia and spent over 40 years as a sea captain. In his memoirs, he defended his choice of a "Sea Faring Life," stating that "the only way for mee [sic] to Escape [becoming a soldier] was by being Absent from my Native home and Country and all Friends and Relations."

During the course of his career, Williams led 133 voyages across the Atlantic Ocean. Most of his trips were to and from City Point, Virginia (now Hopewell) and Holland with occasional stops in the Azores. Records indicate his ships delivered tobacco and staves (wooden rods used to hang tobacco in drying barns); gin and potatoes served the dual purpose as imported goods and ballast. Williams made special mention in his accounts about travel conditions, noting in particular how wind and storms affected his work.

The August 27, 1828 sinking of the ship Protection most likely motivated Williams to produce this cutwork picture, which commemorates a sailor's life. In the large central medallion, he recounts the details of the ship's demise. He surrounds the dedication with religious verse, cut paper emblems, and metaphors for salvation. The event no doubt brought to mind Williams' own encounters with Mother Nature at sea, as he included seven small vignettes highlighting his own experiences. The practice of creating remembrances in paper or shellwork was a common pastime for sailors who had much time on their hands during their voyages. In this instance, Williams most likely taught himself to cut and draw.
ProvenanceEarlier provenance unidentified; before 1999-2007, Joseph Welles Henderson [1920-2007] (Haverford, PA); 2008 (Northeast Auctions, Portsmouth, NH, August 16, 2008, Lot 612); 2008-present, purchased by The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.