Bowdoin College Homepage
Bowdoin College Museum of Art Logo and Wordmark

Advanced Search
Preview image of work. oil on linen, Hatters' banner, Portland, ca. 1841 21149

2010.43.3.1-.2

Recommend keywords

Help us make our collections more accessible by providing keywords to describe this artwork. The BCMA uses the Getty Art & Architecture Thesaurus to provide consistent keywords. Enter a keyword in the field below and you will be prompted with a list of possible matching AAT preferred terms.

 
 

Hatters' banner, Portland, ca. 1841

Export record as: Plain text | JSON | CDWA-Lite | VRA Core 4

Artist

William Capen, Jr.

Title

Hatters' banner, Portland, ca. 1841

Creation Date

1841

Century

mid-19th century

Dimensions

37 x 44 7/8 in. (94 x 114 cm)

Object Type

textile/natural fiber

Creation Place

North America, United States, Maine

Medium and Support

oil on linen

Credit Line

Collections of the Maine Historical Society, purchased by a coalition of Maine museums, including the Bowdoin College Museum of Art, Barbara Cooney Porter Fund and Gift the Textile Arts Foundation (Robert D.Barton and Nancy Hemenway)

Copyright

This artwork may be under copyright. For further information, please consult the Museum’s Copyright Terms and Conditions.

Accession Number

2010.43.3.1-.2

Object Description

Per the James D. Julia Inc.'s Auction Catalogue (End of Summer Spectacular Maine Auction- 2010):
The hanging banner mounted to a round wood dowel with hanging loop having oil painted decoration on both sides with a red later addition yarn fringe. One side with "UNITED IN THE BANDS OF Temperance WE ARE CROWNED WITH Honor" in white and black lettering with brown and red shadowing. In the center of the banner is painted a beaver on grass and dirt ground next to a tree. All on white silk background. Reverse having "WE CROWN THE SOVEREIGN PEOPLE" in gray lettering with bluish-gray and black shadowing. The phrase "Sovereign People" is enclosed in a scrolled banner. A painting of a black top hat completes the side all on a white silk background.

Per the Maine Memory Network in conjunction with the Maine Historical Society - October 2015:
The Hatters, a section of the Maine Charitable Mechanic Association of Portland, created a trade banner for an 1841 parade.

The linen banner features a hat and the words "We Crown the Sovereign People" on the front and "United in the Bands of Temperance we are Crowned with Honor" and an illustration of a beaver and a tree on the reverse.

William Capen Jr., a chair maker and later sign and banner painter who painted the banner, joined the Charitable Mechanic Association in 1826.

9400 College Station
Brunswick, ME 04011
 (207) 725-3275 artmuseum@bowdoin.edu
Back to top of page »