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Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.
Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.
Binnacle Figure from the Nathaniel B. Palmer
Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.
Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.

Binnacle Figure from the Nathaniel B. Palmer

Object numberMO 1942.35.5
Name Painting
Artist
Dateca. 1930s
Mediumpaper, paint (watercolor)
Dimensionsframe H 25 in x W 19 1/8 in x D 5/8 in (63.5 cm x 48.6 cm x 1.6 cm )
DescriptionAn original watercolor painting of a ship's carved figure holding a binnacle. It shows a sailor in a blue shirt and white trousers whose left foot rests on a small barrel while his left knee supports the binnacle. A label for the piece reads: Fulda.

It is matted, glazed, and framed in a 3/4" whitewashed wood frame with a metal plaque at the bottom which reads: WPA FEDERAL ART PROJECT.
Label TextThis watercolor (NYC Ca-146 (a) o) was created for the Works Progress Administration (WPA) Index of American Design by the New York City Art Project, Federal Art Project, Works Progress Administration. It depicts a 6-foot figure made by Tom Negus, and used aboard the ship NATHANIEL B. PALMER, built in 1851 and named for one of the inventors of the clipper ship. After a trip to China for tea, the binnacle boy was removed from the vessel and returned to its maker after the sailors complained that its eyes appeared to move at night and sidetracked their attention from the compass. The carving was then displayed by T.S. and J.D. Negus in front of their nautical instrument shop on Pearl Street in New York City.
Additional Details
Custodial History NoteReceived by Franklin D. Roosevelt from the W.P.A. Index of American Design on September 19, 1941. Deposited at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum by Franklin D. Roosevelt on November 25, 1941.
Credit LineAllocated by the U.S. Government, Works Progress Administration, Federal Art Project, 1935 - 1943. Held by the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.
National Archives Catalog CollectionFranklin D. Roosevelt Library Museum Collection (National Archives Identifier 735948)
National Archives Catalog SeriesArtifacts Relating to the New Deal (National Archives Identifier 750981)
Use Restriction StatusUnrestrictedCopyrightReproduction or other use of these holdings or images thereof is unrestricted.
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