Lot 1080: WILFRED MOLSON BARNES - FLYING CLOUD

WILFRED MOLSON BARNES
American, 1892-1955
"Clipper Ship Flying Cloud off Tuskar Rock". Signed lower right "W.M. Barnes". The Flying Cloud is easily one of the most famous ships in U.S. history. Built in Boston in 1851 by Donald McKay, the ship achieved instant fame when she sailed from New York to San Francisco in just over 89 days, less than half the time it took most vessels. She would break her own record again in 1853, which would last an astounding 136 years.
It is also interesting to note that the captain's wife, Eleanor Creesy, was the navigator of the record setting voyages, a unique occurrence in a then almost exclusively male-dominated profession.
Oil on canvas, 27" x 33". Framed.