Peter Jepson's Art
Peter Jepson constructed a model of a full rigged sailing ship like he worked on in his youth. He also did several oil paintings.
In his will Peter left the ship to his daughter Margaret. It was handed down to her eldest son, Milford. Earlier this year Milford donated the ship to the Durham Museum in Omaha, NE. The ship in its display case has been placed at the entrance to the Trans-Mississippi Exposition display.
 |
The ship in its display case at the Durham |
|
|
When the model ship was displayed at the Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition in Omaha in 1898, Peter received a large certificate. This is a digital copy of the certificate.
|
 Bottom of certificate |
 Top of certificate |
A painting from his seafaring days was recently located in Eugene, Oregon after being absent for many years. Peter gave the painting to his son, John, who passed it on to his son Pierce. Pierce passed on to his daughter, Judith. She stored it with several boxes of Jepson items in Eugene many years ago when she moved to Alaska. In the past year it was discovered by her nephew, Peter Jepson's great, great grandson, Dennis Jepson. He has provided this photo of the painting which he now proudly displays in his home in Eugene.
When Peter left the ship after rounding Cape Horn, he spent a few months in San Francisco and then moved up the coast to Coos Bay in the new territory of Oregon. He worked as a ship builder here in the ship yards for 14 years from 1861 to 1875. This painting is reminiscent of those years. The bay shoreline at North Bend on Coos Bay still looks like this.
Peter's daughter, Edith, had a painting he had done of the farm at Mead. Her daughter, Violet, became the next owner and now it is held by Violet's daughter, Peter's great granddaughter, Beth. Peter's daughter, Emma, had the other painting of the farm. It also has been handed down in that branch of the family and is now in the possession of Steven Hanson, a great grandson of Emma. Below the paintings is a photograph now in the possession of Peter's granddaughter, Luetta.
|
A green wagon can barely be seen at the edge of the pond and the corral fences are unpainted. But the farm buildings and the house are larger and brighter in color. [It is very difficult to photograph an oil painting without getting a reflection of the flash as both Dennis J. and Beth R discovered.] |
The green wagon at the edge of the pond shows up clearer in this painting. All the fences are white here but the farm buildings are not as bright. |
Peter's son, John, is standing in the foreground
Alex Borresmans, a great. great grandson of Peter, presented the theory that one of Peter Jepson's first oil paintings, if not the first, was of the house in Mead where he and Charlotta moved when he retired off the farm. Note the lack of perspective in some angles on the right side of the house and the size of the fence in relation to the size of the house. Also there is a stiffness in the lines of this painting that is not found in his other work. On the left is the painting. On the right is a photograph of the house taken the day of the reunion.
 |
 |