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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.
Figurehead from the Johanna Swan
Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.
Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.

Figurehead from the Johanna Swan

Artifact IDMO 1956.344
Object Type Painting
Artist (American, 1901 - 1969)
Datemid 1930s
Mediumwatercolor on artist's board
Dimensionsimage H 15 in x W 8 3/4 in (38.1 cm x 22.2 cm )
 overall H 22 1/8 in x W 17 5/8 in (56.2 cm x 44.8 cm )
Physical DescriptionAn original watercolor painting of a ship's carved pine figurehead of a female figure (head and upper torso), holding her right hand over her left breast. It is signed by the artist in the lower right: Anton K. Skillin.
Historical NoteThis watercolor was created for the Works Progress Administration (WPA) Index of American Design, by the Connecticut Art Project, Federal Art Project, Works Progress Administration. It depicts a figurehead likely from the JOHANNA SWAN, a schooner built in Harrington, Maine in 1889. The figurehead was found on a Maine farm and was once in the collection of author Booth Tarkington.

The original figurehead is in the collection of the Mystic Seaport Museum, Mystic, Connecticut.
Additional Details
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 StatusUnrestricted
CopyrightReproduction or other use of these holdings or images thereof is unrestricted.
In Collection(s)
Not on view