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The Wreck
by Frank Wilcox
About the Artwork
Frank Wilcox painted multiple shipwrecks in Boothbay, Maine, where this work was likely completed. Typically, wrecking commissioners along the Northeast coast stripped these old boats to repurpose materials and limit the amount of dangerous debris in the water. However, those that were left behind often became popular among locals and offered scenic subject matter for artists. In this image, Wilcox’s diverse color palette brings new life to the wreck, vibrantly distinguishing it from the blank sea and sky.
Inscriptions
Signed, in graphite, at bottom right: Frank Wilcox.
Provenance
1924: Leonard C. Hanna Jr., Cleveland, OH, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art 1924-: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
Exhibition history
The May Show: 6th Annual Exhibition of Works by Cleveland Artists and Craftsmen. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (May 6-June 8, 1924). Retrospective Twenty-fifth Anniversary May Show. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (January 13-February 14, 1943).
Quick Overview
- Artist
- Frank Wilcox (American, 1887–1964)
- Date
- 1923
- Medium
- watercolor
- Dimensions
- Paper: 34.3 x 49.5 cm (13 1/2 x 19 1/2 in.)
- Type
- Drawing
- Classification
- Drawing
- Department
- Drawings
- Credit line
- Gift of Leonard C. Hanna Jr.
- Accession no.
- 1924.634
More by Frank Wilcox in museum collections
Data retrieved from the Cleveland Museum of Art on October 8, 2026. The museum may have updated its record since.
Open-access museum record · AT-00011162
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