John O'Brien Inman

(1828-1896)

Inman was a well-trained artist who both studied with his famous artist father, Henry Inman, and traveled for extended periods in Europe. I saw this piece advertised by a Portsmouth, New Hampshire antique shop in 2001 and was very impressed by the sharp focus and crisp execution of the boat. This early artist’s reputation was based more upon his portraiture and genre work than landscape. This quiet little picture is almost a “portrait” of the boat itself, as the surrounding landscape is more softly executed, almost telling the viewer to pay attention to the superb details of the boat. This picture, like many others, prompted my wife’s questions about my obsession with boats when I neither own one nor generally enjoy floating around in one. I continue to believe it has something to do with “too much work owning and too much time lost floating”… or something like this.