Museum blog now in development

This is a quick snapshot of the exhibit of the Sturtevant ledger, opened to the page showing the ship drawing “John Adams;” it is an example of Maine folk art now on display at the Maine State Museum.  A Seth Sturtevant, who ended up in Sumner, Maine, near the end of the 1700s penned this “Book of Accompis.” The actual drawing is in ink and watercolor and there are no other drawings in his ledger.

This is considered more art than scholarship because this is a drawing of no known ship; the frigate “John Adams” did not exist during the American Revolution, the time period referred to in the drawing. It has been suggested that his actual inspiration came from the U.S. Navy ship, “Warren.”

Above is my extraction and manipulation of the ship image from the original file image shown at the beginning of this post; after cropping, adjusting for perspective, and applying image “shearing,” a rectangular presentation of the drawing is created almost as if the image was captured straight on. Some lighting contrast and coloring completes the recreation, although clarity and focus are lost.

I am planning to post this and additional photos in a new “museum” blog.