"Flying the Colors" is a major addition to the literature of marine painting, an increasingly popular field whose imagery and traditions are integral to the American story. It focuses new attention on painters like James Buttersworth, with his beautifully drawn racing and harbor scenes, as well as Antonio Jacobsen and his masterful handling of ship rigging and magnificent seas, and the popular folk variations of ship portraiture of James Bard. Going beyond the classic depictions of American waters and harbours, the book also encompasses the work of artists abroad in England, Europe and the Orient who created images of American vessels in foreign ports. In addition to classic paintings, "Flying the Colors" presents rediscovered or previously unknown works by key artists like Robert Salmon and Fitz Henry Lane. Most of the work included in this beautifully produced volume, created in association with the Mystic Seaport Museum, is from private collections.