Painting of Shipman family "Menagerie", Stony Brook, L.I., NY, 1882
The online catalog of the Keno Auctions auction of January 22, 2013, displays a number of fine American paintings. One of these at this auction, lot 82, is a wonderful watercolor painting dated 1882 of the Shipman family "Menagerie," which was, I assume, behind or near the Shipman family house at Stony Brook, Long Island, New York.
The catalog website also gives the following information about this painting:
"[Edward] Lange depicted the Shipman house twice, the other entitled The Shipman House, of the same year, 1882.
"This watercolor and its mate are pictured in Dean F. Failey's book 'Edward Lange's Long Island.' William Shipman kept a menagerie of exotic animals behind his residence facing Cedar Street, including peacocks, cattle and 'camelopards' (giraffes), as seen in the image. Game Cock, a boat house still on Long Island at the time of Failey's publication (1979), and probably still standing, is all that remains of the prominent Shipman Estate.
"Literature: Illustrated, Dean F. Failey and Zachary N. Studenroth, 'Edward Lange's Long Island, Setauket: Society for the Preservation of Long Island Antiquities,' 1979, p. 47, pl. 46."
On the date of my writing this message a picture of this painting is still available online at:
http://kenoauctions.com/january-22-2013/lot-82/http://kenoauctions.com/january-22-2013/lot-82/
However, this painting may be taken offline soon. In the event it is taken offline, I have downloaded it and will be happy to send copies freely by email to Shipman family researchers. Someone in the family ought to have it, which is why I’m keeping a copy of it and posting about it. It is too good to be missed by the family. It would be a very great shame and injustice were it to be missed by the Shipman family descendants.
My email address can be found by clicking on my underlined name above. Please note that there is a period between both of my names and between the two words in the second half of my address. Please email me directly rather than respond to me on this site as I may not see that response.
If it were a painting of a similarly wonderful19th century Pease family homesite in my family line, I’d certainly hope someone would do the same for me. Call it a simple, but appropriate, genealogical good deed.
Bill Pease
Lancaster, PA