# The Yacht America

**Charles S. Raleigh** (born Gloucester, England 1830-died Bourne, MA 1925)  
1877  
oil on canvas  
27 x 40 in. (68.6 x 101.6 cm.)

Courtesy of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, 1973.150. [The museum's record](https://americanart.si.edu/collections/search/artwork/?id=20336).

## About this work

The original yacht America was built in 1851 to compete in the Hundred Guinea Cup, the only American entry against fourteen British vessels. When the race was over, Queen Victoria asked, “Who is in first place?” and was told that America had won. When she asked, “Then who is in second?” the American boat had such a strong lead that the reply was: “Madam, there is no second.” After this, the race became known as the America’s Cup.

_Text from the Smithsonian American Art Museum._

Charles S. Raleigh painted this in 1877, aged 47. It is now at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, DC.

### How it was made

- **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.

### [Charles S. Raleigh](https://www.ochreeditions.com/artists/charles-s-raleigh)

born Gloucester, England 1830-died Bourne, MA 1925

## Facts

- Type: Painting
- The artist was 47
- Real size: about 27 × 40 in (69 × 102 cm). The original is larger than our largest print, 16 × 20 in, so every print is a reduction.
- Century: 19th century
- Subjects: Boats and boating, Architecture, Yacht, Waterscapes, Sea
- Colour: grey
- Rights: public domain (CC0 1.0); free to use for any purpose.

## Get it

- Free download, full resolution: https://img.ochreeditions.com/m/1948.jpg?dl=1
- Image: https://img.ochreeditions.com/a/1948/1920.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/the-yacht-america-si-saam-1973-150).