A naive early-20th-century depiction of the American paddle steamer ’Morrisania’. It’s after the original by 19th-century folk artist, James Bard.

The Morrisania was one of three passenger boats owned by The Morrisania Steamboat Company of New York. This ran between 1871 and 1880 with routes to Harlem and Coney Island. At the time, steamboat travel was popular as the Bronx consisted of many rural villages. Wealthier residents would often take the boat to Lower Manhattan for shopping while others used it to commute to work.

In around 1875, James Bard painted the Morrisania along with another of the fleet known as ‘Shady Side’. Bard was a prolific marine artist and painted/drew over 3,000 vessels during his lifetime.

The painting is housed within a wooden frame that’s probably its original.