Collections record Beta

Sketch - Arms of Panama SS Santa Maria Grace Line

1953-17-4

A sketch on matboard of a coat of arms labeled "PANAMA" in pencil along the bottom edge of the mat board. The sketch is done in gray, black, white and blue pencil. The gray shield at the center of the coat of arms is divided into five parts. The two top portions contain a sketch of two sets of crossed tools or weapons. They appear to be a shovel crossed over an ax on the top right hand corner and a sword crossed with an indiscernible object on the top left hand corner. The middle strip of the shield appears to be a landscape of some kind. the bottom two sections of the shield contain two indiscernible objects. On either side of the shield are two gray sketches of the Panama flag. Perched on top of the shield with a ribbon in its mouth is a bald eagle also sketched in gray. The ribbon reads "PRO MUND BENEFICO." Above the eagle are nine stars outlined in gray. The eagle, shield, flags, stars and ribbon are all set against a circular blue background with a shaded in gray boarder. At the bottom of the sketch paper is a gray beam running along the width of the sketch with a small box sketched in pencil right above it. There is also a white stripe across the bottom edge of the mat board. At the bottom right hand corner of the mat board is a label in pencil: "ARMS OF PANAMA/SS SANTA MARIA/GRACE LINE." There is a scale on the bottom right hand corner of the sketch in pencil that reads: "SCALE 1'/2" = 1'.0" On the back of the mat board in blue ink is written: "Austin Purves/1963."

See: 1953-17-2, 1953-17-4, 1953-17-8 and 1953-17-9 for other designs for the Grace Line ships.

Born in Philadelphia, Austin M. Purves Jr. (1900-1977) lived in the East Litchfield section of Litchfield for the last 40 years of his life. Purves studied art at the Philadelphia Academy of Fine Arts and the Académie Julian in Paris, France, before opening a studio in New York, where he was director of the day and night schools at the Cooper Union. After moving to Litchfield, Purves taught art at Bennington College and at Yale Art School and was a member of the Architectural League of New York, the National Society of Mural Painters, and the (then newly-formed) Hartford Art School. Over the course of his career Purves did commission work for R. H. Macy & Co., the Folger Memorial Library in Washington, D.C., the American Battle Monument in Draguignan, France, the 1939 World’s Fair, various churches, ship lines and private clients, among others. In addition to commission work, Purves drew primarily from people and nature for his own personal sketches and paintings.

• Purves, Austin, 1900-1977

1963

Overall Width 9.75"; Length 11.5"

• tape
• ink
• matboard
• pencil