John Russell Bartlett “Great Gale, 1815”, Courtesy of the Rhode Island Historical Society, 2016
John Russell Bartlett (1805-1886) was an artist, linguist, Providence bookseller, the Rhode Island Secretary of State (1855-1872), a librarian for the John Carter Brown Library and a U.S. Boundary Commissioner for the Southwest United States (1850-1853). His oil on canvas painting of The Great Gale of September 23 1815, that struck almost without warning causing a great deal of damage to the town of Providence, was painted circa 1835-1840. It depicts Market Square in Providence at the height of the storm. Two ships are being driven into the Market House. The Martin Home on President Street was just a short walk beyond the Market House and could have suffered damage.
