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I'm really excited about an original oil painting that I recently acquired by French artist Eugene Hieblot (1886-1953), who was particularly known for painting ships. The SS Chicago was built in 1908 at St. Nazaire by the Compagnie Générale Transatlantique, commonly known as the French Line, and Hieblot was commissioned by the company to paint the ships that they built. The Chicago was in service until 1928. I would surmise that the picture must have been painted sometime around 1907-1908, and Hieblot must have been about 20 when he painted it.
I have seen several of his ship paintings, including a different version of the SS Chicago, and they all depict the ships in fair weather, which makes the ships appear massive and powerful. This is the only one of his paintings that I have seen that depicts a ship in heavy weather, and it makes the ship appear small and vulnerable. For that reason, I suspect that the artist painted this painting to please himself, rather than to please the shipbuilder. It's very dramatic, and grabs my attention every time I walk into the family room.
The ship ran with passengers between Havre and New York. The French Line was one of the great shipbuilders of the 19th-20th Century. They built the famous Ile de France, which was in service from 1928-1959, and was once considered the most luxurious passenger ship in the world. The Ile de France participated in the rescue of passengers after the collision and sinking of the Andrea Doria and the Normandy in 1956.
When I acquired this painting, it was unframed and very dirty. I had it cleaned, restored and framed by an art conservator, and am glad to have had an opportunity to rescue it.
Notice: The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ. The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.