The Undaunted

Limited Edition Archival Pigment Ink Prints (aka Giclee)
from the original oil painting in the Cobb House Museum

This beautiful, limited edition print of an historic Brewster Ship Master’s vessel is available for purchase at the Cobb House Museum.
Learn the details of Captain William Freeman’s voyages below.

Call or email the Museum for hours.
508-896-9521 brewsterhistoricalsociety@comcast.net
$350 members/$400 non-members $250 members/$300 non-members (includes tax) Cash, check, or credit cards accepted.

Born in Antwerp, Linnig studied at the Antwerp Academy of Fine Arts from 1832 to 1842. During this time, he exhibited at the triennial show in Antwerp with two paintings: Fishing for Herring on the Dogger Bank and Coast near Zierikzee. In 1842, he exhibited in Brussels with The Brig ‘Timor’ Shipwrecked off the English Coast. For a short time, he lived in The Hague where he studied the works of past and present masters at The Hague Museum. In 1846, he moved to Sint-Willibrods, Belgium. Soon after he embarked on a long seafaring journey to Norway. This voyage allowed him to observe the movements of fishermen and their boats along with ships and ship maneuvers. 

In 1849 Linnig exhibited with great success in Antwerp and in Germany. His paintings of ships in the throes of storms and high seas display topographical and historical accuracy. These types of paintings earned him recognition as an important representative of the Romantic-realist period (1830-1860). His style was popular with shipping companies and sea captains, securing him the majority of his commissions. Well known as one of the first realistic engravers in Belgium, the subject matter of Linnig’s engravings also feature seascapes and ship portraits. 

Linnig died in Antwerp in 1860. The cause of death was pneumonia contracted after he missed his jump from a gig and fell into the water.  

It is not known how he came to paint The Undaunted, as the ship was commissioned in London, but then captained by William Freeman in the United States. Note the vessel sails under The Stars and Stripes in this portrait. 

The Ship
The Undaunted was a nineteenth century clipper ship captained by Brewster resident William Freeman. The original painting hangs in The Brewster Historical Society, 739 Lower Road, Brewster, MA, the former home of Elijah Cobb, another Brewster sea captain. Captain Freeman’s youngest daughter, Phebe Freeman Focht, who died in Arizona in 1976, gave the painting to  BHS. The ship was lost in Rio de Janeiro on December 12, 1862. 

The Captain
Born in 1820, William Freeman commanded the famed clipper ship Kingfisher, the Maine, the Undaunted, the Monsoon, the Mogul, the Ocean King, and Jabez Howes.  Unlike most of his other Brewster compatriots, he also captained three steamers: Zenobia, Palmyra, and Edward Everett.   

While captaining the Undaunted, the crew mutinied and the captain was wounded, but he managed to regain control of the ship and deliver it safely to Nova Scotia, also delivering the crew into the hands of the U.S. Consul.   

While captaining the Mogul, its coal cargo caught fire, and after battling for twelve days, the crew took to the open boats.   In a journey similar to Capt. Bligh's record-making passage, they travelled 1200 miles to the Marquesas, and from there were taken to Tahiti and on to San Francisco, arriving four months after they abandoned ship.   

Captain. Freeman lived to retire to the Greek Revival home on Breakwater Road he built in 1862 out of lumber he transported from Alaska and furnished with Aubusson carpets he purchased in France.