The Morgan at Mystic
1942
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
etching
Dimensions
sheet: 22.7 × 37.4 cm (8 15/16 × 14 3/4 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Rosenwald Collection
Accession Number
1946.21.140
Art Historical Context
**The Morgan at Mystic** James McBey (1883–1959), a masterful Scottish etcher celebrated for his precise maritime scenes and landscapes, created this evocative print in 1942. Capturing the historic whaling ship *Charles W. Morgan* docked at Mystic Seaport in Connecticut, the etching measures 22.7 × 37.4 cm and reflects McBey's lifelong fascination with ships, honed through his World War I naval etchings. Produced amid World War II, it evokes a sense of timeless resilience amid global turmoil, preserving an icon of American maritime heritage. Etching, McBey's preferred medium, involves incis...
About the Artist
James McBey
James McBey (1883–1959) was a Scottish artist renowned for his etchings and paintings, emerging from humble beginnings in Newburgh, Aberdeenshire, as the illegitimate son of a blacksmith's daughter. Largely self-taught, he left school at fifteen to work as a bank clerk in Aberdeen, where he devoured art books from the public library and attended evening classes at Gray's School of Art to hone his ...