Description
Frederic Schiller Cozzens was a prominent American maritime artist known for his watercolors of sailing ships, yachts and marine scenes. Born in New York City, Cozzens graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York, but was basically a self-taught artist. He worked primarily in watercolor, pen and ink and gouache. Many of his paintings were issued as fine chromolithograph prints. His first portfolio, American Yachts, Their Clubs and Races (1884) was a series of 27 chromolithographs accompanied by a book written by Lieutenant James Douglas Jerrold Kelley. This publication proved so successful he went on to produce four more series on maritime themes, including Typical American Yachts (1886), also with text by Kelley. Cozzens contributed illustrations and yacht portraits to many magazines, most notably Harper’s Weekly. His works are in numerous collections including the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the New-York Historical Society, the New York Yacht Club and the Museum of the City of New York.
Condition: Generally very good, the colors bright and fresh with only minor toning and wear. Mounts very good, with some light toning, wear, soiling, and edge chipping (still better than usual). Original paper title labels verso.
Full publication information: Charles Scribner’s Sons, Publishers, 743 and 745 Broadway, New York.
References:
Brewington, Dorothy E.R.& Dictionary of Marine Artists. Mystic, Connecticut: Mystic Seaport Museum, 1982. p. 96.
“Frederic Schiller Cozzens.” AskArt.com. http://www.askart.com/artist/C/frederic_schiller_cozzens.asp?ID=22043 (10 December 2004).
Kelley, James Douglas Jerrold and Frederic Schiller Cozzens. American Yachts: Their Clubs and Races. New York: C. Scribner’s Sons, 1884. Online at Google Books. http://books.google.com/books?id=MG3XnCstq1MC (3 February 2009).
