Antioch Docking

Datec. 1925

Mediumoil on canvas

DimensionsSight: 15 5/8 × 19 1/2 inches (39.7 × 49.5 cm)
Canvas: 16 1/4 × 20 1/4 inches (41.3 × 51.4 cm)
Framed: 24 1/2 × 28 1/4 inches (62.2 × 71.8 cm)

Credit LineBequest of James McKenna.

Object number2007.16.2

On View

Not on view

Copyright© Christopher Cole Murphy. The images and text contained on this page are owned by Telfair Museums or used by the Museum with permission from the owners. Unauthorized reproduction, transmission or display of these materials is prohibited with the exception of items deemed “fair use” as defined by U.S. and international copyright laws.Label TextAntioch Docking presents a picture of the workings of the port of Savannah in the 1920s, but also suggests how the port was changing. The massive hull of the steamship represents the technology of the present, but the outdated technology of the past is visible behind the warehouses on the left in the shape of the masts and rigging of a sailing ship. Christopher A. D. Murphy was was one of Savannah’s most accomplished and beloved artists. He enrolled at the Art Students League in New York in 1921, where he soon earned a Tiffany Foundation fellowship and exhibited in a number of prominent shows before the stock market crash of 1929 compelled him to return home to Savannah. Throughout his career, he delighted in portraying all facets of life in his native city, and his skillful depictions of homes, neighborhoods, and landmarks that no longer exist are invaluable documents of the Savannah’s history.

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