ANTONIO JACOBSEN (1850–1921)

Born in Copenhagen, Denmark, Jacobsen came from a family of violin makers and trained briefly at the Royal Academy of Design before emigrating to New York in the early 1870s. There, he sketched the ships of the harbor until a commission decorating safes led to work for ship captains and steamship companies, including the White Star, Old Dominion, and Fall River Lines. Over his career, he produced an estimated 6,000 paintings, documenting vessels from the age of sail to steam and earning recognition as America’s foremost chronicler of maritime history.

Jacobsen lived and worked in New York and later Hoboken, NJ, where he entertained fellow artists and musicians. Several of the artists that visited included Fred Pansing (well-known ship painter at the time), James Buttersworth (painter of yachts), F. Bishop (marine artist from New Haven). and Frederick Cozzens (Staten Island artist who specialized in harbor scenes).  His style evolved from highly detailed commissioned works to imaginative marine scenes, including shipwrecks and ocean vistas. Today, his paintings are held in major collections such as the Peabody Museum and The Mariners Museum, and his legacy endures as a foundational figure in American maritime art.