Thursday, September 18, 2025
10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Carlson Education Center, CAM Green
13 Poplar Street, Gloucester, MA
CAM Members Free, Non-Members $5
Registration required as space is limited

Painters flocked to Cape Ann in the latter part of the 19th century, drawn by its beauty and light, and by the picturesque Gloucester Harbor with its majestic fishing schooners. Tempering that beauty was the grittiness of the fishing trade: the dangers of navigating an uncertain and often turbulent sea, resulting in many deaths and leaving wives and children without a source of support. With the rise of capitalism in America, ship owners often saw the large supply of immigrant fishermen as expendable, with newcomers ready to replace those lost at sea. Living conditions for underpaid fishermen could be less than ideal. Beauty and the opposing difficult conditions provided inspiration for those who painted here. Join us to view a painting by American Impressionist Carl Peters to explore these themes. This conversation will be led by CAM Docent, Bruce Shaw.

Image Credit: The Fort (formerly thought to be Portuguese Hill), Carl Peters, n.d. Oil on canvas, Gift of the artist’s wife, 1995, 1995.038.001.