Fishing in the British American colonies was a social sport, & the outcome was as unpredictable then as it is nowadays. This poem appeared in the 1754 Maryland Gazette about preparing a list of items to take on a picnic & fishing trip on the Severn River in Annapolis.
18C English woodcut
Six bottle of wine, right old, good and clear;
a dozen at least, of English strong Beer:
Six quarts of good Rum, to make Punch and Grogg
(the latter a Drink that’s now much vogue)
some Cyder, if sweet, would not be amiss:
Of Butter Six pounds, we can’t do with less.
A tea Kettle, Tea, and all the Tea Geer,
To treat the Ladies and also small Beer.
Sugar, Lemons, a Strainer, likewise a Spoon;
Two China Bowls to drink out of at Noon:
A large piece of Cheese, a Table Cloth too,
A sauce-pan, two Dishes, and a Corkscrew:
Some Plates, Knives and Forks, Fish Kettle or pot,
And pipes and Tobacco must not be forgot:
A frying pan, Bacon or Lard for to Fry:
a tumbler and Glass to use when we’re dry
A hatchet, some Matches, a Steel and a Flint,
Some touch-wood, or Box with good tinder in’t.
some vinegar, Salt, some Parsley and Bread
or else Loaves of Pone to eat in it’s stead:
and for fear of bad Luck at catching of Fish
Suppose we should carry- A READY DRESSED DISH
Wenceslaus Hollar (European-born English artist, 1607-1677) Angling
Wenceslaus Hollar (European-born English artist, 1607-1677) River Fishing
Wenceslaus Hollar (European-born English artist, 1607-1677) Salmon Fishing
Winslow Homer (American artist, 1836-1910) Shark Fishing
During the 1880s, Winslow Homer vacationed in Florida, and the Caribbean, where he produced dazzling watercolors of people struggling with the sea & its creatures. Strong men here challenge the ocean's overwheming power; but in the end, the timeless ocean would survive. The strong, clever fishermen would die passing the task on to the next generation.
Winslow Homer (American artist, 1836–1910) Hauling in anchor Key West
Winslow Homer (American artist, 1836-1910) The Gulf Stream
Winslow Homer (American artist, 1836–1910) Rum Cay
Winslow Homer (American artist, 1836–1910) The Conch Divers
Winslow Homer (American artist, 1836–1910) West India Divers
Winslow Homer (American artist, 1836–1910) Done in the Bahamas (Fragment)
Winslow Homer (American artist, 1836–1910) The Water Fan
Winslow Homer (American artist, 1836–1910) Sponge Fishing (1885)
Winslow Homer (American artist, 1836–1910) After the Hurricane, Bahamas
Winslow Homer (American artist, 1836–1910) Fishing Boats, Key West
Winslow Homer (American artist, 1836–1910) Sponge Fishermen, Bahamas 1885
Winslow Homer (American artist, 1836–1910) The Sponge Diver 1898–99
Winslow Homer (American artist, 1836–1910) Market Scene Nassau 1885
Winslow Homer (American artist, 1836–1910) Key West, Hauling Anchor 1903
Winslow Homer (American artist, 1836-1910) The Angler
Winslow Homer (American artist, 1836-1910) A Good One
Winslow Homer (American artist, 1836–1910) An Unexpected Catch
Winslow Homer (American artist, 1836–1910) Bass Fishing Florida 1890
Winslow Homer (American artist, 1836–1910) Boy Fishing 1892
Winslow Homer (American artist, 1836–1910) Casting, Number Two 1894
Winslow Homer (American artist, 1836–1910) The Rise 1900
Winslow Homer (American artist, 1836–1910) A quiet pool on a sunny day
Winslow Homer (American artist, 1836–1910) Casting in the Falls (1889)
Winslow Homer (American artist, 1836–1910) Casting
Winslow Homer (American artist, 1836–1910) Crab Fishing
Winslow Homer (American artist, 1836–1910) Playing a Fish
Winslow Homer (American artist, 1836–1910) Hauling in the Nets
Winslow Homer (American artist, 1836–1910) Spearing Eels
Winslow Homer (American artist, 1836–1910) The Herring Net 1885
Winslow Homer (American artist, 1836–1910) The lobster pot
Winslow Homer (American artist, 1836–1910) The Lone Fisherman
Winslow Homer (American artist, 1836–1910) Trout Fishing, Lake St. John, Quebec (1895)
Winslow Homer (American artist, 1836-1910) Three Boys in a Dory with Lobster Pots
Winslow Homer (American artist, 1836-1910) Man in a Punt Fishing
Winslow Homer (American artist, 1836-1910) Playing Him
Winslow Homer (American artist, 1836-1910) Quananiche Lake St John
Winslow Homer (American artist, 1836-1910) Two Men in a Canoe
Winslow Homer (American artist, 1836-1910) Fishing in the Adirondacks
Winslow Homer (American artist, 1836-1910)
Winslow Homer (American artist, 1836-1910)
Winslow Homer (American artist, 1836-1910)
Winslow Homer (American artist, 1836-1910)
Winslow Homer (American artist, 1836-1910)
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Henri Lebasque (French artist, 1865-1937) Promenade Sur L'Eau 1918
Henri Lebasque (French artist, 1865-1937) A Fishing Expedition 1920
Some of my favorite portraits of women & children outdoors are by Henri Lebasque (French artist, 1865-1937). He was born in Champigné, France; and by 1885, he was studying in Paris at the Ecole des Beaux Arts. Here Lebasque met Camille Pissarro & Auguste Renoir. Lebasque maintained an intense artistic exchange with young painters, especially Vuillard & Bonnard, the founders of the artists' associations "Les Nabis" (the prophets) & the "Intimists." In 1903, together with his friend Henri Matisse & other artists, Henri Lebasque founded the "Salon d'Automne," where Georges Rouault, André Derain, Edouard Vuillard and Henri Matisse exhibited. In 1924, Henri Lebasque moved to Le Cannet on the French Riviera. His portrayals of women & their children are colorful & intimate, full of the hope & joy of life.
Henri Lebasque (French artist, 1865-1937) Young Girls in a Boat c 1900
Henri Lebasque (French artist, 1865-1937) Girl in a Boat
Henri Lebasque (French artist, 1865-1937) Girls in a Boat
Henri Lebasque (French artist, 1865-1937) On the Banks of the Seine in Andelys
Henri Lebasque (French artist, 1865-1937) Fishing Party 1915
Henri Lebasque (French artist, 1865-1937) Promenade En Barque
Henri Lebasque (French artist, 1865-1937) Boat on the Marne