# Sunrise over Fishing Waters--Maine

**William E. Norton** (born Boston, MA 1843-died New York City 1916)  
ca. 1880  
oil on wood mounted on paperboard  
8 1/4 x 13 in. (21.0 x 33.0 cm)

Courtesy of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, 1982.1.32. [The museum's record](https://americanart.si.edu/collections/search/artwork/?id=18867).

## About this work

William E. Norton lived in Boston but spent a great deal of time painting on the coast of Maine. He preferred to work outdoors and probably painted Sunrise over Fishing Waters—Maine during one of his summer trips to the coast. Rather than paint every detail, Norton used delicate dabs of paint to quickly capture the overall scene like the sun's reflection in the water, the breaking waves, and the small sails off in the distance.

_Text from the Smithsonian American Art Museum._

William E. Norton painted this in about 1880, aged 37. It is now at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, DC.

### How it was made

- **Oil on panel.** Oil paint on prepared wooden boards, usually oak in the north and poplar in Italy. The rigid, smooth surface suits fine detail and thin, glowing glazes.
- **Oil paint.** Pigment ground in a drying oil, usually linseed. It dries slowly, so painters could blend on the canvas, build up thin translucent glazes, and rework a picture over weeks. Canvas replaced wooden panels in the 1500s because it is lighter and can be rolled.

### [William E. Norton](https://www.ochreeditions.com/artists/william-e-norton)

born Boston, MA 1843-died New York City 1916

## Facts

- Type: Painting
- The artist was 37
- Real size: about 8½ × 13 in (21 × 33 cm). The 11 × 14 in print is close to life size.
- Century: 19th century
- Subjects: Landscapes, Coasts, Time, Sunrise, Waterscapes, Sea
- Colour: brown
- Rights: public domain (CC0 1.0); free to use for any purpose.

## Get it

- Free download, full resolution: https://img.ochreeditions.com/m/1962.jpg?dl=1
- Image: https://img.ochreeditions.com/a/1962/1920.jpg
- Giclée reproduction on Hahnemühle Photo Rag: 8 × 10 in $28; 11 × 14 in $38; 12 × 16 in $42; 16 × 20 in $56
- Framed reproduction: 8 × 10 in $78; 11 × 14 in $98; 12 × 16 in $108; 16 × 20 in $138
- Canvas reproduction: 8 × 10 in $58; 11 × 14 in $72; 12 × 16 in $79; 16 × 20 in $98
- Print-ready file: 8 × 10 in $2; 11 × 14 in $2; 12 × 16 in $3; 16 × 20 in $3

Sizes stop where the museum's file would print below 150 pixels per inch. Everything sold is a reproduction, made to order. [Order a print](https://www.ochreeditions.com/art/sunrise-over-fishing-waters-maine-si-saam-1982-1-32).