Detailed watercolor painting by J. Frederick Huge of the steamer Nimrod, commanded by Captain John Brooks of Bridgeport. Nimrod plied Long Island... Show moreDetailed watercolor painting by J. Frederick Huge of the steamer Nimrod, commanded by Captain John Brooks of Bridgeport. Nimrod plied Long Island Sound, running between Bridgeport, Norwalk, and Birmingham (Derby), Conn. The painting depicts the sidewheel steamboat moving towards the left, and two sailing vessels in the background, one at left and one at right. A small red flag with a white letter "N" on it flies at the bow, and a large American flag with 26 stars arranged in a star formation on the canton flies from the stern. A thirteen-star pennant, very long and narrow, flies directly atop the American flag. There are two smokestacks In the center of the vessel with smoke emanating from them. The paddlewheel can be seen at the center of the port side of the vessel. Passengers are crowded on the decks. A somewhat choppy sea forms the foreground. The artist's signature is on the lower right, and reads "drawn and painted by J. Frederick Huge Bridgeport Conn. 1839." Huge was a self-taught artist whose primary occupation was as a grocer in Bridgeport; he emigrated from Germany around or just prior to 1830. He is known for his detailed portraits of vessels, as well as various scenes of Bridgeport. Show less