Fitz Henry Lane's luminous "Starlight" in Harbor pays homage to the large ship anchored near the center of the painting. Built in 1854, Starlight was one of a new generation of clipper ships built for great speed, which facilitated international trade and aided in expanding the nation's economy. The setting is Boston Harbor, where various vessels and laborers are harmoniously arranged, betraying the usual bustle of the port.
Born in Gloucester, Massachusetts, Lane was essentially untrained as a painter. His style combined precise drawing, which he learned as a printmaker's apprentice, and atmospheric effects typical of British and American marine paintings available to him in Boston. Here, Starlight's crisply painted and highlighted sails especially suggest the ship's power and beauty.
