John B. Dale Sold at Auction Prices

Naval painter

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    • John Dale Watercolor of Hawaii
      Dec. 08, 2018

      John Dale Watercolor of Hawaii

      Est: $20,000 - $30,000

      Lieutenant John B. Dale (1814-1848). Untitled [Burial Cavern. Valley of Niu, O'ahu, Hawaii, showing Maunalua Bay and Koko Head crater]. Sepia watercolor and pencil on paper. c. 1845 7 3/4” x 10” sheet, 16" x 17 1/2" framed. Originally one of three official artists for the celebrated "Wilkes Expedition" from 1838, John B. Dale returned to the United States in July of 1840 and joined Ferdinand Rudolph Hassler's U.S. Coastal Survey, which at that time was focused on Delaware Bay to chart the approaches to Philadelphia. In march of 1844 John B. Dale is a 5th Lieutenant aboard the USS Constitution, under the command of Captain John Percival, or "Mad Jack" Percival, as he was known. Between May of 1844 and September 1846 the USS Constitution undertook a circumnavigation of the globe, arriving in Honolulu in November of 1845. During the Constitution's brief stay amongst the islands, Dale created his evocative images of Hawaii in the earliest days of American involvement there. By the middle of January 1846 the Constitution was in Mexico, called to duty, as the United States was preparing for war after the Texas annexation. She arrived in Mazatlán on the 13th of January, 1846 and stayed for three months without seeing any action, finally setting sail for home on the 22nd April, and arriving in Boston on 27 September. When, five years earlier, Charles Wilkes had first arrived in O'ahu in September of 1840, he was not overly impressed, however, since he was forced to overwinter in the Hawaii Islands, he soon changed his mind: "The beauty of the valley, when passing into it, is at times striking, from the effect of the light and shade produced by the clouds, which are occasionally seen lowering on the mountain peaks, and are, as it were, held in check by them. The clouds now and then escape and pass above the peaks, and again burst by with renewed and accumulated strength, sweeping through the valley, and carrying fertilizing showers over it, with every variety of rainbow, while the whole western sky is one glorious sunlight. The sunbeams now and then gain possession of the valley, thus causing a constant and rapid succession of showers and sunshine (Volume III, Narrative of the United States Exploring Expedition During the Years 1838, 1839, 1840, 1841, and 1842, page 392). Wilkes describes the scene in this watercolour at some length: "On the east end of the island are numerous caves, which Messrs. Drayton and' Dana visited: they are situated in a bluff of three hundred feet elevation, and the mouths of them are at about twothirds the height. Most of these caves are accessible by ascending along the sides of the bluft' obliquely. The natives formerly used them for the burial of their dead, and at times they are still so appropriated. One was walled up, and a strong pole was lying against the rock, which the natives said had been used to bring the body to the place. In the centre of the wall which closed the mouth of the tomb, was a piece of white tapa, the deposit of which in tombs is one of their ancient customs that is still adhered to on this side of the island. "These caves are the effect of volcanic action; and were called by the natives Kaualahu. Their guide having provided them with torches of the tutui-nut, they ascended to one of them, two hundred feet above the 'sea, where, having lighted the torches, they entered to the distance of about one hundred feet. Here they found deposited a number of bones, among which were only two skulls. On another side was a heap of stones, covering more bones and some entire skeletons: to remove these stones would have occupied more time than they had to spare, or than their feeble lights would allow (Volume IV, page 84).

      Arader Galleries
    • Dale Watercolor Sugar Loaf Mountain
      Sep. 29, 2018

      Dale Watercolor Sugar Loaf Mountain

      Est: $12,000 - $18,000

      DALE, John B. (ca. 1800-1848). Sugar Loaf Mountain. circa 1844-1846. Watercolor and pencil on paper. 5 1/4 x 7 inches. As one of three artists assigned to the U.S.S. Constitution, Lt. John B. Dale labored over accurate renderings of landscapes and peoples in cultural dress of the various stops along Wilkes’ route. Dale explores the cultural identity of the native peoples, paying special attention to their styles of dress and the conditions in which they live. The Wilkes Expedition was the last most comprehensive sailing journey ever attempted by the United States. Leaving Hampton Roads on August 18, 1838, the U.S.S. Constitution stopped at the Madeira Islands and Rio de Janeiro; visited Tierra del Fuego, Chile, Peru, the Tuamotu Archipelago, Samoa, and New South Wales; from Sydney sailed into the Antarctic Ocean in December 1839 and reported the discovery “of an Antarctic continent west of the Balleny Islands”; visited Fiji and the Hawaiian Islands in 1840, explored the west coast of the United States, including the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Puget Sound, the Columbia River, San Francisco Bay and the Sacramento River, in 1841, and returned by way of the Philippines, the Sulu Archipelago, Borneo, Singapore, Polynesia and the Cape of Good Hope, reaching New York on June 10, 1842.

      Arader Galleries
    • View Along Waikiki Beach near Diamond Head, O'Ahu, Hawaiin Islands
      Apr. 18, 2015

      View Along Waikiki Beach near Diamond Head, O'Ahu, Hawaiin Islands

      Est: $25,000 - $35,000

      John B. Dale. First Images Depicting American Involvement in the Hawaiian Islands from the Celebrated Wilkes Expedition. Sepia Watercolor Drawing. 7 3/4 x 10 inches

      Arader Galleries
    • SIX DRAWINGS OF SOUTHERN INTEREST, INCLUDING THREE
      Aug. 16, 2008

      SIX DRAWINGS OF SOUTHERN INTEREST, INCLUDING THREE

      Est: $1,500 - $2,500

      SIX DRAWINGS OF SOUTHERN INTEREST, INCLUDING THREE OF THE SUWANEE RIVER AND TWO OF MOUNT VERNON, FROM THE SKETCHBOOKS OF U.S.N. LIEUTENANT JOHN B. DALE (D. 1848). Comprising views of camping and hunting on the Suwanee; Washington's Tomb, dated 1842, a lodge at Mt. Vernon; and view of New Castle, Delaware. Each sepia wash or pen and pencil on paper, largest 9 1/4 x 12 1/4 inches.

      Bourgeault-Horan Antiquarians
    • TORTILLAS AND LOVE-MAKING IN MEXICO, SEVEN
      Aug. 16, 2008

      TORTILLAS AND LOVE-MAKING IN MEXICO, SEVEN

      Est: $1,400 - $1,800

      TORTILLAS AND LOVE-MAKING IN MEXICO, SEVEN DRAWINGS AND WATERCOLORS OF MEXICO AND MEXICANS, FROM THE U.S.S. CONSTITUTION SKETCHBOOKS OF U.S.N. LIEUTENANT JOHN B. DALE (D. 1848). Including views of Mazatlan, dated 1846. Each watercolor, pencil or pen and ink on paper, all with captions, largest 11 x 15 3/4 inches.

      Bourgeault-Horan Antiquarians
    • SIXTEEN DRAWINGS AND WATERCOLORS OF THE AZORES AND
      Aug. 16, 2008

      SIXTEEN DRAWINGS AND WATERCOLORS OF THE AZORES AND

      Est: $1,800 - $2,500

      SIXTEEN DRAWINGS AND WATERCOLORS OF THE AZORES AND THE MADEIRA, CANARY AND CAPE VERDE ISLANDS, FROM THE U.S.S. CONSTITUTION SKETCHBOOKS OF LIEUTENANT JOHN B. DALE, U.S.N. (D. 1848). Including a view of the U.S.S. Constitution in the harbor of Fayal from the Monte Quebrado, the valley of Tacoronte, peak of Teneriffe, Convent of Santa Clara, and figures in native costume. Each a watercolor, pencil or pen and ink on paper, largest 10 3/8 x 14 1/4 inches. Together with a newsprint clipping on the Dragon Tree of Orotava. (17)

      Bourgeault-Horan Antiquarians
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