Verrazzano’s Ship, La Dauphine at Montauk Point #1

Medium: Oil on Panel, Size: 35"x16 1/4"

In January 1524, Giovanni da Verrazzano began a voyage of discovery to the New World on behalf of King Francis I, He explored the east coast of North America from Cape Fear, North Carolina to New York. Verrazzono enters New York Bay and harbor and the present day Hudson River. From there he sailed along Long Island Sound, following the coast of Long Island to Block Island, which is located just 14 miles east of Montauk Point.

At the time of European contact, the Lenape people (named the Delaware by Europeans) inhabited the western end of the Island, and spoke the Munsee dialect of the Algonquian language family. Giovanni da Verrazzano was the first European to record an encounter with these people when he entered what is now New York Bay in 1524. The eastern portion of the island was inhabited by speakers of the Mohegan-Montauk-Narragansett language group of the same language family, representing their ties to the aboriginal peoples inhabiting what is now Connecticut and Rhode Island. The area was central to the production of Wampum, providing the resources necessary for its creation.

Verrazzano’s Ship, La Dauphine at Montauk Point #2

Medium: Oil on Panel, Size: 34"x24"

Half Moon at Penobscot Bay

Medium: Oil on Panel, Size: 30 1/4"x21 3/4"

“Half Moon at Penobscot Bay” is a world class work of historical art. This painting captures one of the most interesting sailing ships of the time against one of the most beautiful coastlines in the world.

Painted in 2009, the original oil on wood panel measures 30.25 inches wide by 21.75 inches high.

In the Penobscot Bay: Site of Explorer Henry Hudson’s First Landing in the New World:

On July 12, 1609, a lookout in the crow’s nest of Henry Hudson’s ship, the Half Moon, sighted the coast of North America through the mist.

After sailing down the coast from Nova Scotia, due to bad weather Hudson anchored his ship off Penobscot Bay, ME. (July 14). The Half Moon was trapped there for three days, shrouded in heavy fog.

While at anchor, two canoes appeared filled with Penobscot Indians. This was the first time the sailors had ever seen Indians. To make friends and allay fears, Hudson gave them trinkets he had brought to trade for spices in China.

On the fourth day, July 18, the fog lifted and the ship sailed into the Penobscot Bay and dropped anchor. It was reported to be a beautiful Bay, with thick green forests surrounding the coast. Henry Hudson went ashore, his First Landing in the New World.

For the next several days, it was documented that the crew of the expedition cut down a tall tree for use as a new mast, made ship repairs, filled barrels with fresh water, traded with the natives, and caught 31 lobsters and “20 great cods and a great halibut” in nearby waters.

On July 25, in fear of an Indian attack of their ship, Robert Juet led a raid on an Indian village. “.....We manned our Scute with twelve men and Muskets and two stone Pieces or Murderers, and drove the Savages from their houses, and took the Spoyle of them, as they would have done us.”

“Then we set sayle.”

As recorded by Robert Juet, Henry Hudson’s Log Keeper Penobscot Bay, 1609

Half Moon At Sea

Medium: Oil on Panel Size: 25"x26

"The Half Moon" - under full sail, a "breaking sky" and choppy seas.

Half Moon at the Palisades

Medium: Oil on Panel Size: 23 1/2"x23"

With the landmark Palisade cliffs of New Jersey in the background, The Half Moon is shown on it's return from exploring the "Hudson" all the way up to what is now Albany, NY. After leaving the bay surrounding what is now New York City, the Half Moon, with it's Captain Henry Hudson, sailed north east across the Atlantic to England.

Portrait of Henry Hudson

Medium: Oil on Panel

Henry Hudson's Exploration of the North American Coast in 1609

Henry Hudson explored the Penobscot Bay on the Maine coast and discovered the "Hudson River" in New York. The Englishman Henry Hudson, sailing on an expedition underwritten by the Dutch, was on his Third Voyage to the New World, seeking a passageway which was hoped to lead to the Far East. After departing Maine, Hudson and his crew went on to identify the Delaware Bay and River, Cape May, New Jersey, and discover what is now called the "Hudson River" in New York State.