John Orne Johnson (J.O.J.) Frost.
(1852-1928, Massachusetts).
At Night, Gale, Hove to, Oct. 23, Started for Home.
c. 1922-1926.
Inscribed at top “(Lea)veing the Grand Banks at Night, Oct. 23rd, 1868.”
Not signed.
Oil on board.
Excellent antique condition.
Painting is 28 1/2” w x 11 7/8” h.
Frame is 32 5/8” w x 16” h.
Exhibited: The Childs Gallery, Boston, MA, May 1954.
The Knoedler Galleries, New York, NY, 1954, #11, lent by Mrs. James H. Beal.
Provenance: Frederick 'Dyke' Mason, Jr. and Mary Mason, 11 Pond Street, Marblehead, MA, 1952.
The Childs Gallery, Boston, MA, 1954, their label verso.
Mrs. James H. Beal, Pittsburgh, PA, 1954.
The Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, PA, 1983, their label verso.
Private Collection, Somerville, Massachusetts.
The Mike Dale Collection.
Est. $25,000-$35,000.
Ship: $65

This painting has been authenticated by Frost expert Bethe Lee Moulton, author of The Paintings of J.O.J. Frost: An American Story. Moulton and her mother, Priscilla L. Moulton, have focused on rediscovering the work of this folk artist and historian. Most of the information below is drawn from Moulton's book (available from https://marbleheadmuseum.org/gift-shop/).

John Orne Johnson (J.O.J.) Frost was born on January 2, 1852, in Marblehead, Massachusetts. Spending his early years on Front Street next to Marblehead Harbor, he cherished the stories of local fishermen, who recounted their maritime adventures and brought the colorful history of the town of Marblehead to life. At age 16, to earn a living, Frost himself went to the Grand Banks of Newfoundland, first signing on with the fishing vessel Josephine in 1868 and then with the Oceania in 1869. Barely surviving a harrowing blizzard on the Oceania, Frost resolved that he would never go to sea again.

Frost married Annie Lillibridge in 1873 and the couple had three sons, but only one survived childhood. After Frost ended his career as a fisherman, he worked a variety of jobs, including carpenter's apprentice, cook, and restaurant owner. Eventually, he worked full-time to support Annie's thriving business of growing and selling cut flowers.

In 1919, J.O.J. Frost was devastated by the loss of his life partner of 46 years. Legend says that he was at Annie's graveside when he was inspired to paint. Thus, in 1922, at age 70, with no formal training, Frost began to paint and carve the history of his beloved Marblehead so that it could be preserved for future generations. Using wall boards, house paint, and other materials at hand, Frost began to create his works, inspired by the tales he had heard and his own life experiences. He considered himself a historian first, not an artist, and his paintings portrayed daily life in the fishing village of Marblehead from its early wilderness days through the Revolutionary War and the Civil War. In addition to his paintings, Frost also made ship models and wood carvings of fish and birds native to the New England Coast. Frost is believed to have completed approximately 120 paintings and more than 40 wood carvings.

Frost tried to sell his art. He wheeled his works around town in a wheelbarrow, offering them for the bargain price of 25 cents, the cost of a good meal. Reportedly, he never made a sale, and was mocked by townsfolk, even children. One of Frost’s paintings was displayed in the window of the hardware store on Washington Street. When friends overheard locals laughing at the Frost painting, they urged J.O.J. to take it down, but he refused, saying, “if that picture of mine makes people laugh, it is serving a very useful purpose." By 1926, Frost had built a small museum/studio behind his house in which to exhibit his many works. The people of Marblehead displayed little interest in the museum, and for the grand opening, advertised by handbill, legend has it that no one showed up. To say that J.O.J. Frost's work was not appreciated in his lifetime would be a major understatement.

According to Bethe Moulton, "The image of the painting offered here captures a very specific storm. This night was documented in Frost's recollections of his Grand Banks trips as a young man which he wrote when he was in his 70s. This painting first appears in the 1926 Catalog made by J.O.J. Frost himself, listed as #33, with the title, At Night, Gale, Hove to, Oct. 23, Started for Home. All these details fit the account in Frost's diary/memoir of those events.” When J.O.J. Frost died in 1928, he left his many paintings and carvings to his son.

Frank Frost diligently tried to fulfill his father’s wishes to preserve the town’s early history and honor its fishermen. Hoping that a museum could be established with that goal, in January 1929, Frank donated 70 of his father’s paintings to the Marblehead Historical Society (now the Marblehead Museum). "This painting was #37 in the Donor’s Catalog prepared by Frank; the work was untitled but the description was of this storm on this night in 1868. The painting next appears in the Marblehead Historical Society accession book with the title Riding Out a Storm," Moulton explained.

In October 1929, the Great Depression struck, and any hopes for a museum were dashed. Temporary homes were found for the donated paintings: some at the MHS, some in the home of MHS members, and some in the old studio, still owned by Frank. Unfortunately, the studio roof sprang a leak and Frank withdrew 16 of the donated paintings that were “damaged beyond repair." Fortunately, the painting being offered was not among the damaged works, but it did remain in Frank's possession.

In August of 1943, Betty and Albert Carpenter, folk art collectors from Boston, visited the Jeremiah Lee Mansion in Marblehead, where MHS was exhibiting Frost paintings from their collection. The couple saw Frost's work for the first time. Betty Carpenter considered J.O.J. to be the finest primitive, self-taught artist she had encountered. Visiting Frank and his wife frequently at 11 Pond Street, Betty told him that she wanted to buy J.O.J.’s work, that she wanted to make sure his work was exhibited widely, and that she wanted to write a book about the artist. Moved by Betty’s appreciation, Frank sold the Carpenters several paintings and carvings, perhaps seeing in this couple the possibility of exposing his father’s work to a broader audience. Sadly, in 1947, Frank Frost died of a heart attack, before he saw any of those hopes become reality.

In 1952, the Frost homestead at 11 Pond Street was sold to insurance agent Frederick 'Dyke' Mason, Jr., and his wife, Mary. The house was badly in need of major repairs. To reach an electrical wire that had fallen out of reach, Mason cut out a piece of the wall. To his surprise, he found a picture painted on the back of the siding. Further excavations unearthed even more paintings, turned face-in and nailed to the studs. The Masons sought the advice of experts, who told them the paintings were the work of J.O.J. Frost. By 1953, they had unearthed fragments of 28 paintings, one of which is the painting being offered.

According to Bethe Moulton, a likely probability is that Frank Frost cut and mounted the beaverboards in the walls around 1930. During the Great Depression, income-paying tenants would have helped Frank and Sadie Frost keep a roof over their own heads. Town tax records showing two residences at 11 Pond Street in 1931 support Moulton’s theory.

Charles Childs of Childs Gallery in Boston agreed to clean and reunite the pieces into presentable works of art. The painting offered here is one of those 28 works and has the original Childs Gallery label on the back. Exhibitions for the paintings were set up for the Childs Gallery in Boston for May of 1954, and for the Knoedler Galleries in New York for July of 1954. By this time, the works of self-taught, primitive painters were being recognized and sought after by folk art collectors. After just one week at the Childs Gallery, many of the paintings had been sold, and the Knoedler Galleries exhibition date was moved up to June. This painting being offered was purchased from the Childs Gallery, after which it was loaned by its new owner for exhibition at the Knoedler Galleries.

Soon thereafter, in July of 1956, this painting became part of a court case. The Carpenters filed suit in the name of Frank Frost’s estate, believing they had acquired, from Frank’s widow, Sadie, all of the paintings at 11 Pond Street. The judge eventually ruled in favor of the Masons, declaring the paintings had become an integral part of the real estate the Masons had purchased when they were nailed into the walls.

In 1998, the Marblehead Historical Society purchased a property located at 170 Washington Street, Marblehead, MA, and created the J.O.J. Frost Folk Art Gallery. Frost’s paintings and carvings had finally found a home of their own. Later changing their name to the Marblehead Museum, the organization currently owns more than 35 works by Frost, by far the most of any museum in the country.