Fire at Sea 1836

Editor: Here we have James Tibbits Willmore’s "Fire at Sea", an etching from the Harvard Art Museums. It's so small and contained, yet it depicts such chaos and destruction! What do you make of this dramatic scene? Curator: It’s like a dream, isn't it? A nightmare distilled into ink. Willmore captures the Romantic obsession with the sublime – the terrifying power of nature. That burning ship, those desperate figures… it’s less about historical accuracy and more about evoking a feeling. A feeling of awe and terror, wouldn’t you agree? Editor: Absolutely. It's a powerful image.