Diamond Cove: Landscape and Leisure in 19th-Century America

Portland Museum of Art

Portland, Maine

1-207-775-6148 or 1-800-639-4067

http://www.portlandmuseum.org

Diamond Cove: Landscape and Leisure in 19th-Century America

Through August 17, 1997

In the early part of the nineteenth century, New Englanders enjoyed the "pic-nic" and their newfound leisure time. In Portland, Diamond Cove on Great Diamond Island in Casco Bay became the definitive spot for these leisure activities. Artists like Charles Codman and Edward Henry Seager were drawn to Diamond Cove not only for its idyllic beauty, but also because its popularity among Portland's middle class increased the market value of their paintings and drawings. The exhibition focuses on Codman's far-reaching influence in landscape painting in this area, and in his creation of a prototypical view of Diamond Cove. A centerpiece of the exhibition is Picnic at Diamond Cove by Codman's protege John Greenleaf Cloudman, which has recently been conserved with funds from the Joan Whitney and Charles Shipman Payson Charitable Foundation.

Charles Codman

United States, 1800-1842

View of Diamond Cove from Great Diamond Island, circa 1829

Oil on panel

Museum purchase with gifts from Iris Almy, Mrs Alexander Fowler, Margaret Payson, Mrs. Millard S. Peabody, Mr. and Mrs. John Rand, Mr. and Mrs. Raymond B. Small, Mr. and Mrs J. Weston Walch, Roger and Katherine Woodman, and an anonymous donor

John Greenleaf Cloudman

United States, 1813-1892

Pleasant Cove, Diamond Island, Casco Bay, 1869

Oil on twill canvas

Gift of Nathan A. and Saundra L. Cobb Jr. in memory of Mr. and Mrs. Frank W. (Louise M.) Cobb and their children, Nathan A., William L., and Frances (Cobb) Douglass

The Museum welcomes all members of the public. Accessibility to the Museum is barrier-free and tours for people with special needs are available through prior arrangement. Web site: http://www.portlandmuseum.org. For more information, call 1-207-773-ARTS or 1-800-639-4067.

Search for more articles and essays on American art in Resource Library. See America's Distinguished Artists for biographical information on historic artists.

This page was originally published in 1997 in Resource Library Magazine. Please see Resource Library's Overview section for more information.