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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.
Clipper Ship Sovereign of the Seas
Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.
Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.

Clipper Ship Sovereign of the Seas

Object numberMO 1941.3.120
Name Painting
Artist (American, 1858 - 1943)
Date1937
Mediumoil on canvas
Dimensionsframe H 24 in x W 30 3/4 in x D 1 1/2 in (61 cm x 78.1 cm x 3.8 cm )
 painting (painting on stretcher) H 20 1/4 in x W 27 in (51.4 cm x 68.6 cm )
DescriptionA painting of the clipper ship, SOVEREIGN OF THE SEAS. It depicts an angled view of the three-masted sailing ship with a blue hull. The ship is shown on open water and is under full sail. The artist's signature is in the lower right corner: F. Leo Hunter / 1937.

The painting is framed in a 1 7/8" carved gilt wood frame. A brass plaque attached to the bottom of the frame has a painted inscription that reads: Clipper Ship / Sovereign of the Seas / Built by Donald McKay / East Boston, 1852 / Capt. Laughlin McKay / Length 258 ft. Beam 44ft. / F. Leo Hunter. The framer's information is engraved into the pegs on the reverse of the stretcher: FREDS / Artist's Materials / New York.
Label TextThis painting of the SOVEREIGN OF THE SEAS was presented to President Roosevelt in October 1937 by Joseph R. Jackson, Assistant Attorney General for the Customs Division of the United States Department of Justice in New York City.
Additional Details
Credit LineEstate of Franklin D. Roosevelt
National Archives Catalog CollectionFranklin D. Roosevelt Library Museum Collection (National Archives Identifier 735948)
National Archives Catalog SeriesPrints and Paintings (National Archives Identifier 778817)
Use Restriction StatusUnrestrictedCopyrightReproduction or other use of these holdings or images thereof is unrestricted.
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