James Bard American marine painter of the 19th century. Date of Birth: 04.10.1815 Country: USA

1. James Bard: American Marine Artist of the 19th Century
2. Early Life and Family
3. Marriage and Children
4. Collaboration with John Bard
5. Artistic Style and Career
6. Legacy and Final Years

James Bard: American Marine Artist of the 19th Century

James Bard was an American marine artist of the 19th century, best known for his paintings depicting water vessels, particularly steamships, which are considered bright examples of the primitive art movement, such as naive art. Bard painted over 3000 ships, likely all the vessels built in New York City at the time. Although Bard died in poverty and was nearly forgotten, his works eventually gained value over time.

Early Life and Family

James Bard, along with his twin brother John Bard, was born on October 4, 1815, in New York City. Their father, Joseph Bard, was from England, and their mother, Nellie Purvis Bard, was born in Scotland. The twins had at least two other brothers, Joseph and George, two older sisters, Ellen and Mary, and a younger sister, Margaret.

Marriage and Children

In the late 1830s or early 1840s, Bard married Harriet DeGroot, who was six years older than him. They had six children, but unfortunately, five of them died in infancy, and only their daughter Ellen survived. Harriet's brother, Albert DeGroot, became a steamship captain and a wealthy man who commissioned several paintings from James Bard.

Collaboration with John Bard

James and John Bard worked together extensively during the early years of their careers. It is difficult to determine which parts of their joint paintings were done by each brother, as their collaborative works were signed as "J. and J. Bard." While no independent works by John Bard have survived, there are several early paintings signed solely by James.

Artistic Style and Career

During the 1830s, most of the Bard brothers' works were in watercolor, but by the 1840s, they had transitioned almost entirely to oil painting. Their last known joint work dates back to 1849, after which little is known about John Bard. James Bard experienced a hiatus in his artistic career, but in March 1850, he produced two oil paintings of steamships, the "Ocean" and the "Boston."

The 1850s marked a significant boom in steamship construction, and James Bard seemingly received regular commissions from ship owners to immortalize their vessels on canvas. Despite this, he led a modest life and never achieved financial success. Bard never held a bank account or owned any property. During the 1860s, he likely worked as a mechanic or engineer for a railroad, and in the 1870s, he spent time in California, where he painted two ships assembled in the state from New York parts.

James Bard's last works, two watercolor paintings, were created after 1890. As he aged, the artist lost his ability to draw and could no longer support himself. He and his wife moved to White Plains, New York, where their daughter Ellen, who worked as a maid, provided for them. James' wife passed away in January 1897, and he survived her by nearly three months.

Legacy and Final Years

After the deaths of James and John Bard, no documents, letters, diaries, or wills were found. Only their artworks remained, and by the time of James' death, he was nearly forgotten by his contemporaries. His paintings fell into obscurity as photography gained popularity, and soon steamships themselves were replaced by railroads. Many of Bard's works were lost or destroyed, but some surviving paintings have been sold at auctions for tens of thousands of dollars in recent years.