Medium: Oil
Support: Canvas
Artist: Karl Lewis
Artist Dates: 1865-1942
Country of Origin: United States
Title & Description: "U.S. Cruiser 'Raleigh' in the Monsoon of July 12, 1903, Between Aden and Colombo"The title of this piece is perfectly descriptive of the contents. The ship, aforementioned "Raleigh," is caught in the storm-wrought waves of a monsoon that threatens to overcome it. While the ship struggles to remain afloat with waves higher than its decks, the flag still waves at the stern. Behind the ship, a vast wave swells. The painting does not make it explicit that the ship is capable of surviving the storm, but history tells us that the ship goes on to be key during the First World War.
Signature: Bottom Right
Date of Work: Early 20th C.
Frame: Wood
Work Size: 16.0x20.0"
Frame Size: 19.25x23.0"
Weight: 3lbs 12.3oz
Provenance: New Hampshire Estate
Condition: There is foxing along the painting, causing some discoloration that is especially noticeable on the ship itself. The canvas sits slightly loose in the frame.
Artist Biography: Karl Lewis was born near Pinville, Bell County, Kentucky in a log cabin. This is near the wanderings of Daniel Boone in the Cumberland Gap. Karl and his father, Henry, made their way to the west coast and shortly before his 13th birthday he went to sea for the first time. He became a seaman and sailed throughout the world until in 1900 he settled in Yokohama, Japan and married a Japanese girl by the name of Sadako Sasako. He held several jobs but settled on the production of hand painted envelopes called "covers" by philatelic collectors which he sold, by mail, all over the world. He was imprisoned by the Japanese Special Police shortly after the start of WW2 but was eventually released and placed under house arrest. He died six months later in 1942. Until the end he maintained his American citizenship by fulfilling the periodic formal requirements of the local American consulate. His wife of 37 years died in 1940. Although there is no evidence that he converted to Buddhism both are buried together on the grounds of the Buddhist temple Shinkojo near his home in Kami Ooka, Yokohama's Konan Ward.