Frederic S. Cozzens

American Yachts
Frederic S. Cozzens, 1884-1885
COZZENS, Frederic S (1846-1928). American Yachts, a Series of Water-color Sketches. With an accompanying volume of text by J.D. Jerrold KELLEY. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1884[-1885].
Massive chromolithographed views of sailing, including the "extra plate" depicting the finish of the 1885 America's Cup. This plate depicts the sailing yachts Puritan and Genesta. Puritan was the winner, designed by Edward Burgess of Boston. Frederic Schiller Cozzens started his career in the 1860s as a Maritime artist painting in watercolor. By 1883 his work was so sought after that he decided to pursue other mediums and to expand the availability to the public via chromolithography and the present work. The series of prints is accompanied by text written by Lieutenant James Douglas Jerrold Kelley, giving detail on each of the 25 main scenes represented (one of the series depicts signal flags). This collection of lithographs includes portraits of more than one-hundred craft, including sloops, steamers, schooners and ice-boats. The scenes depict some of yachting's most memorable images of regattas, most notably Cozzens' "Second International Race, The Finish off Staten Island, Magic defeating Cambria August 8, 1870" (plate 6).
Oblong broadsheet folio atlas (552 x 660mm) and octavo text volume (190 x 130mm); together, two volumes. Atlas with title printed on card in red and black and 27 chromolithographed plates, mounted to card, letterpress captions mounted to versos, as issued (captions inverted; a little text offsetting on to pl. 1, scattered tiny adhesions/flakes, pls. 2 & 20 with a few more adhesions, pl. 19 mount trimmed). Both volumes in uniform modern half morocco ruled and lettered in gilt.