John Haskell Kemble Maritime Art Collection: Finding Aid
Finding aid prepared by Charla DelaCuadra.
The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical
Gardens
Prints and Ephemera
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, California 91108
Phone: (626) 405-2191
Email: reference@huntington.org
URL: http://www.huntington.org
© February 2019
The Huntington Library. All rights reserved.
Overview of the Collection
Title: John Haskell Kemble maritime art collection
Dates (inclusive): 1828-1981
Bulk dates: 1880-1920
Collection Number: artJHK
Collector: Kemble, John Haskell, 1912-1990.
Extent: 125 items
Repository:
The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens.
Prints and Ephemera
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, California 91108
Phone: (626) 405-2191
Email: reference@huntington.org
URL: http://www.huntington.org
Abstract: This collection forms part of the John Haskell Kemble maritime collection compiled by American maritime historian John Haskell
Kemble (1912-1990).
The collection contains 125 artworks pertaining to and/or depicting maritime vessels, including both commercial and military
ships.
Language: English.
Access
Open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services
Department. For more information, contact Reader Services.
Access Information
RESTRICTED. Available with curatorial approval. Requires extended retrieval and delivery time.
Administrative Information
Publication Rights
The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to
quote from or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such
activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is
one, and obtaining necessary permissions rests with the researcher.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item]. John Haskell Kemble maritime art collection, The Huntington
Library, San Marino, California.
Provenance
Gift of John Haskell Kemble, 1960s-1990s.
Processing/Project Information
Collection processed 1999 to 2006 by Mario M. Einaudi. Finding aid encoded by Charla DelaCuadra in 2019.
Biographical Note
John Haskell Kemble (1912-1990), Jack to his family and friends, was born June
17, 1912, in Marshalltown, Iowa. He was the only child of Ira Oscar Kemble and
Caroline Haskell Kemble. His father owned and operated several greenhouses
which grew flowers for the florist trade. In the late teens, Jack's father sold most
of his greenhouses and in 1921, the family moved to California. The Kemble family
first lived in Eagle Rock, then Pasadena. Jack graduated from Pasadena High
School in 1930, and went to Pasadena Junior College in 1931, before transferring
to Stanford, where he earned his B.A. in 1933. He then crossed the Bay and
studied under Prof. Herbert Eugene Bolton at the University of California,
Berkeley, earning his M.A. in 1934, and his Ph.D. in 1937. Through the contacts
made by Bolton and Henry Wagner, Kemble joined the Pomona College faculty in
1936 as a Professor of History. He retired from Pomona 41 years later, in 1977.
During World War II Kemble served in the U.S. Navy, from 1942-1946, in the Office
of Chief of Naval Operations and on the Staff of Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Pacific
Fleet and Pacific Ocean Areas. In October 1945 he received a Commendation
Ribbon from Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz during a ceremony at Pearl Harbor.
Kemble rose from Ensign to Lieutenant Commander during the war, remained active
in the US Naval Reserve after the war, and retired as Commander, USNR, in
1960.
In peacetime Kemble was also busy outside of his professorial duties at Pomona. He
was a Visiting Professor, at the Naval War College, Newport, R.I., 1952-1953;
was on the faculty of the Munson Institute of American Maritime History, Mystic,
Conn., teaching during Summers from 1955-1981; served on the Secretary of the
Navy's Advisory Committee on Naval History from 1961-1980; and on the
California State Historical Resources Commission from 1976-1979 and again from
1985-1990 (Chairman, 1987-1988).
His PhD thesis,
The Panama Route, 1848-1869, was first published by the Univ.
of California Press in 1943, and remains one of the principle resources on that
pivotal time in US and Pacific Maritime history. He also wrote
San Francisco Bay:
a pictorial maritime history,
published by the Cornell Maritime Press in 1957 and
was the editor for a definitive edition of
Two years before the mast by Richard
Henry Dana, Jr.,
published by Ward Ritchie Press in 1964; he also edited
To
California and the South Seas: the diary of Albert G. Osbun, 1849-1851,
published by the Huntington Library in 1966.
Kemble was an active member of the Zamorano Club, as well as other organizations
and groups including: the California Historical Society; E Clampus Vitus; and the
Los Angeles Corral of the Westerners. In February of 1990 Kemble was on his fourth
round the World cruise on the P&O liner
Canberra when, between New Zealand
and Australia, he passed away, asleep in a deck chair.
Scope and Content
This collection forms part of the John Haskell Kemble maritime collection compiled by American maritime historian
John Haskell Kemble (1912-1990). The collection contains 125 artworks dating from 1828 to 1981, with subjects pertaining to
and/or depicting maritime vessels, including commercial and military ships.
Most are oil paintings, with some watercolors also included.
The collection is divided into three series: Commercial, General, and Military. Over two dozen companies are represented
in the Commercial series,
including Northern Pacific Steamship, Occidental and Oriental, Pacific Mail Steamship, and White Star Line. General artworks
include costal and waterfront views as well as a variety of vessels. The Military series
contains mainly American naval vessels, but also includes a Peruvian man-of-war schooner and a British Royal Navy frigate.
Related Materials in the Huntington Library
Related collection of maritime books from Kemble's library is fully cataloged and may be searched under individual titles
in the
Huntington Library's Online Catalog.
The collection may also be accessed as a whole by searching TITLE -- "John Haskell Kemble maritime collection", or AUTHOR
-- " Kemble, John Haskell, 1912-1990, donor."
Arrangement
The collection is arranged in the following three series:
- Series I. Commercial
- Series II. General
- Series III. Military
Artwork is arranged numerically by call number and described in the following format:
- Item call number
-
Title of artwork. Date
- Artist(s) (when known).
Indexing Terms
Subjects
Ships.
Steamboat lines.
Tourism.
Transportation.
Forms/Genres
Drawings (visual works)
Paintings (visual works)
Series I. Commercial
approximately 1840-1981
(bulk 1880-1920)
Physical Description:
87 items
artJHK 005
[Oceanic] approximately 1875-1895
artJHK 007
[Unidentified paddlewheel ferry] 1884
artJHK 009
Glenogle. approximately 1899-1903
artJHK 012
[Occidental and Oriental vessel at sea.] before 1900
artJHK 013
Tacoma. approximately 1892-1904
artJHK 014
Steamer Fulton in tow of Dispatch. 1904
Artists: Coulter, William A., 1849-1936
artJHK 017
[Belgic] approximately 1875-1883
artJHK 018
Bridge of R.M.S.P. Loch Loyal sketched between and Seattle and U.K. Summer 1959. 1960
artJHK 019
The Old Rimutaka, Captain Greenstreet, October 1890. 1890
artJHK 020
[Puritan] 1960
Artists: Randall, Wallace
artJHK 021
The S. S. Wauchope crossing Bass Straits. 1913
artJHK 022
[The Cintra passing the Maranoa at sea] 1903
artJHK 024
[C. H. Northam] undated
Artists: Jacobsen, Antonio (1849-1921)
artJHK 026
Steam ship Golden Gate : U.S. mail carrier. approximately 1851-1862
Artists: Parsons, Charles, 1821-1910
artJHK 027
[Edgemont] approximately 1904-1915
Artists: Jacobsen, Antonio (1849-1921)
artJHK 028
[Unidentified steamer, possibly the Hudson, at sea] undated
Artists: Jacobsen, Antonio (1849-1921)
artJHK 030
[Newport] 1882
Artists: Jacobsen, Antonio (1849-1921)
artJHK 032
[State of California] 1880
artJHK 033
Northern Pacific Steamship Company's S S 'Victoria'. undated
artJHK 034
[Olympic] undated
Artists: Jacobsen, Antonio (1849-1921)
artJHK 036
[Antilia] 1895
Artists: Jacobsen, Antonio (1849-1921)
artJHK 037
[Zealandia] approximately 1914-1917
artJHK 039
[City of New York] approximately 1885
artJHK 041
S.S. Bandon, S.F. approximately 1908
artJHK 042
[Mexico] 1907
Artists: Jacobsen, Antonio (1849-1921)
artJHK 044
[Larchmont] 190[4]
Artists: Jacobsen, Antonio (1849-1921)
artJHK 045
[Pilot Boat New York] 1898
Artists: Jacobsen, Antonio (1849-1921)
artJHK 046
[Kate Carroll] undated
Artists: Challoner, William Lindsay
artJHK 047
[Montclair] 1904
Artists: Jacobsen, Antonio (1849-1921)
artJHK 048
The C & NZ mail steamship Nebraska, 2644 tons, Capt[ain]Harding, off Sydney Heads. approximately 1871-1873
artJHK 049
Steam Ship Northerner, Capt. Budd. approximately 1847-1850
artJHK 050
[Senator] approximately 1945
artJHK 051
[Siberia] approximately 1903-1916
artJHK 053
[Mariposa] undated
Artists: Challoner, William Lindsay
artJHK 054
Golden Age. approximately 1870
artJHK 056
S.S. Newcastle 1259 Tons. 1885
artJHK 057
[Steamship, possibly the Robert Lowe, at anchor in Hong Kong Harbor] undated
artJHK 058
[Steamship, possibly the Robert Lowe, off the Chinese coast] undated
artJHK 060
[Massachusetts] 1893
Artists: Jacobsen, Antonio (1849-1921)
artJHK 061
[Collins Line Steamship Pacific] approximately 1850-1856
artJHK 062
[Unidentified river paddlewheel steamboat built by Thomas Collyer] 1853
Artists: Bard, James, 1815-1895.
artJHK 063
Medina with H.M. The King en route to India escorted by Cockrane, Defence, Argyll and Natal. 1912
artJHK 064
[Cabrillo] 1981
Artists: Ewen, William H.
artJHK 069
Pacific coast steamship San Rosa, 1884. approximately 1895
Artists: Stanton, Samuel Ward
artJHK 070
[Pilgrim] 1973
Artists: Leavitt, John F.
artJHK 071
Nevada. approximately 1875
artJHK 072
[Iroquois] 1910
Artists: Jacobsen, Antonio (1849-1921)
artJHK 073
S.S. Virginia San Francisco. 1933
artJHK 080
Off St. Catherine's Point, I[sle] of W[ight]. 1920
artJHK 083
Old ships at Antioch, California. undated
Artists: Patterson, Charles Robert, 1878-1958.
artJHK 085
[Yale] 1908
Artists: Jacobsen, Antonio (1849-1921)
artJHK 088
Valparaiso Chile 1840. approximately 1840-1852
artJHK 089
[Concordia] approximately 1870
Artists: Newell, John Perry
artJHK 092
[Kaaterskill] 1882
Artists: Bard, James, 1815-1895.
artJHK 093
[Harlem] 1878
Artists: Bard, James, 1815-1895.
artJHK 095
White Star liner Celtic. 1889
Artists: Greenwood, George Parker
artJHK 096
[Harvard] 1908
Artists: Jacobsen, Antonio (1849-1921)
artJHK 097
[Roanoke] 1883
Artists: Jacobsen, Antonio (1849-1921)
artJHK 098
[Favorite] approximately 1908-1912
Artists: Jacobsen, Antonio (1849-1921)
artJHK 099
Los Angeles Steamship Co. liner 'Yale' (1907) entering the Golden Gate. 1977
Artists: Muller, William G.
artJHK 101
Wreck of the Aquila. 1863
artJHK 102
[Hildebrand] 1960
Artists: Dickinson, George
artJHK 104
Brig Pilgrim. before 1959
Artists: Gleason, J. Duncan (Joe Duncan), 1881-1959.
artJHK 108
Ship Florence. 1915
Artists: Patterson, Charles Robert, 1878-1958.
artJHK 115
Souvenir du Borysthène. approximately 1866
artJHK 116
[Chichibu Maru] approximately 1935
artJHK 119
S.S. Persia. approximately 1933
Series II. General
approximately 1870-approximately 1965
Physical Description:
27 items
artJHK 004
Sketch of an American Ship. undated
Artists: Patterson, Charles Robert, 1878-1958.
artJHK 008
Ships at San Francisco in 1849 drawn from Hiram Gerard. undated
artJHK 015
[View from Cabaña Fortress, Havana, Cuba] approximately 1923
Artists: Patterson, Charles Robert, 1878-1958.
artJHK 040
Great Steamboat War for control of rich New England trade. approximately 1907
Artists: Stanton, Samuel Ward, 1870-1912
artJHK 066
[American bark at sea under sail] undated
artJHK 067
Catalina Island : unfinished sketch. undated
Artists: Gleason, J. Duncan (Joe Duncan), 1881-1959.
artJHK 068
Freighter in Thames Estuary. approximately 1942
artJHK 074
Sketch : New York Waterfront. undated
Artists: Gleason, J. Duncan (Joe Duncan), 1881-1959.
artJHK 078
Salt Meadows : Alameda, California. undated
Artists: Gleason, J. Duncan (Joe Duncan), 1881-1959.
artJHK 079
Ashtabula Ohio Bridge. undated
artJHK 081
[Scene of a bay or estuary] undated
artJHK 082
[Reef at Honolulu] undated
artJHK 094
Portsmouth Harbour. 1902
Artists: Dixon, Charles, 1872-1934
artJHK 100
Transferring survivors of the Titanic from Titanic lifeboats to the Carpathia. approximately 1912
artJHK 105
Omena-Traverse Yacht Club, Omena, Michigan. 1968
artJHK 106
Visit of Queen Victoria to Liverpool, May [2nd?] 1886. 1886
artJHK 107
Passing Southsea ; Along side South Jetty. 1906 November 13
Artists: Dixon, Charles, 1872-1934
artJHK 110
Mazatlan in the morning. approximately 1941
Artists: Wheeler, Warren S.
artJHK 111
Jack : He was like a father to Nimitz. 1946
artJHK 113
In remembrance of my cruise in China, Japan, & Philippine Water. approximately 1900
artJHK 114
[Sketch of a harbor with a steam vessel and bark] undated
artJHK 117
[Fishing boat, dockside, in a harbor.] before 1965
artJHK 122
[Penang Junk] approximately 1965
artJHK 124
[Kweo, the Wolf Kachina] 1920
Artists: Sequaftewa , Rex
artJHK 125
Hong Kong. approximately 1870
Series III. Military
1828-1973
Physical Description:
11 items
artJHK 003
Sketch of U.S. Navy vessel. undated
Artists: Patterson, Charles Robert, 1878-1958.
artJHK 065
U.S. Army Transport Wright. 1901
Artists: Esposito, Gaetano
artJHK 075
[Engine room of USS New Mexico] undated
Artists: Patterson, Charles Robert, 1878-1958.
artJHK 084
U.S.S. Quiros. approximately 1900-1923
artJHK 090
Crusader. approximately 1860
artJHK 091
H. M. Frigate Dublin 50 Guns in Valparaiso Bay 1832. undated
artJHK 103
United States Revenue Cutter McCulloch. 1898
artJHK 112
A Peruvian man of war schooner 16 guns : the Guyaquilania drawn at Valpariso. 1828
artJHK 118
U.S. Frigate Constitution. 1931
artJHK 121
[American frigate at sea.] undated
