The Old Print Shop

Flying Defender.

  • ARTIST: James Tyler

  • PUBLISHER: Published by L. Prang & Co. Boston.

  • MEDIUM: Chromolithograph,

    DATE: 1895

  • EDITION SIZE: Image size 17 x 22 1/2" (43.2 x 57.2 cm).

  • DESCRIPTION: Chromolithograph by James G. Tyler, published in 1895 by L. Prang & Co. of Boston, depicting the American racing yacht Defender surging ahead of her British rival Valkyrie III during the 1895 America’s Cup, with a dense spectator fleet in the background. Designed by Nathanael G. Herreshoff and owned by a syndicate led by William K. Vanderbilt, Edwin D. Morgan, and Charles Oliver Iselin, Defender was an innovative sloop built with a combination of aluminum and steel, giving her a decisive speed advantage. The 10th America’s Cup, sailed off Sandy Hook in September 1895, pitted Defender against Valkyrie III of the Royal Yacht Squadron in a best-of-five series. Despite light winds, rough swells, and a charged atmosphere, Defender dominated, retaining the Cup for the New York Yacht Club, though the match was clouded by Lord Dunraven’s protests over race management. Tyler’s work captures the intensity, elegance, and national pride of this celebrated contest.

  • ADDITIONAL INFO:

  • CONDITION: Good condition and color.

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