Arthur Beaumont, the most prolific artist in U.S. naval history, lived a fascinating life. Originally born Arthur Edwin Crabbe, Beaumont was born in Norfolk, England to a career soldier in the Royal Army and a creative mother who instilled within him an appreciation for art early on. 

As a young adult, Beaumont immigrated to Canada where he worked as a cattle rancher, sketching aspects of life on the ranch all the while. Shortly thereafter, Beaumont relocated to San Francisco to live with his brother, and he enrolled in a program at the University of California’s Mark Hopkins School of Art. He funded his education with ranch work but eventually had an unfortunate run-in with a gang of cattle rustlers who left him seriously injured. 

To escape more trouble, he fled to South California and changed his name from Crabbe to Beaumont. He met his soon-to-be wife Dorothy in Los Angeles and opened his first commercial art studio. He enrolled in Chouinard Art Institute, and eventually his artistic studies took him to Paris. 

Upon his return from Europe, Beaumont became a fixture of the Los Angeles art scene, teaching classes, exhibiting works and running his own studio. In the early 1930s, Beaumont received a commission to paint a portrait of Admiral William D. Leahy, one of the highest-ranking naval officers at the time. This proved to be a pivotal turning point in Beaumont’s career. 

“Admiral Leahy was a fleet commander in Long Beach, and my dad’s studio was in Long Beach. And the admiral asked him to paint his portrait,” said Geoffrey Beaumont, Arthur Beaumont’s youngest son. 

During the painting process, the two got to be friends. And eventually, Leahy presented Beaumont with a compelling opportunity. 

“While they were doing the portrait, Leahy asked my dad if he would be interested in becoming the Navy’s official artist. It was 1932, during the Depression. It was the only job offer he had that year. And he said, ‘I’ll do it,” Geoffrey recounted. 

“The former artist of the Navy had died in 1927, so the Navy had no artist in 1932. Admiral Leahy gave him that job, and he kept it for the rest of his life. He painted for the Navy for 45 years, more than 1,000 paintings. . . It’s the largest body of work by any artist who ever worked for the Navy,” he added. 

Beaumont painted in watercolor and documented the progression of military technology during his time with the Navy. The paintings detail the Navy’s transition from coal-burning ships to oil burning ships and, eventually, to nuclear ships.

“His paintings carried that technological progress from the old to the new over a 45-year period,” Geoffrey explained.  

Locals will soon have a special opportunity to see several of Beaumont’s works in an upcoming exhibition at Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum. The museum is one of nine museums throughout the country to have been selected to mount the “Arthur Beaumont, Art of the Sea” traveling exhibition, which has been organized by the Irvine Museum in California. 

Geoffrey gifted the Irvine Museum with a sizable collection of Beaumont’s works, which have inspired the traveling exhibition. Jim Irvine Swinden, president of the Irvine Museum, is excited to share these works with Savannah and other locales throughout the country.

“(What makes the exhibition so special) is the uniqueness of this particular artist being able to paint en plein air, very free and fast outside. Also too, it’s the subject matter and his longevity. Not very many artists spend so many decades, particularly with painting the U.S. Navy going from coal ships all the way up to nuclear ships. That’s quite an expanse. . . He was extremely talented and just seemed to be at the right place at the right time and was extremely competent at what he did,” said Swinden. 

He encourages the public to come out to Ships of the Sea to see the exhibition, which will be on view through June. 

“I think it will resonate with people on different levels. First and foremost, the historical aspects of the paintings because of what they represent, and particularly during World War II, Savannah’s major participation in the war in terms of building ships and having one of the most distinguished cruisers. But also it resonates with artists because painting, particularly in watercolors, is extremely unforgiving. And these paintings were masterfully done. You can’t make a mistake. . . And so, I think from a historical standpoint and also the artistic standpoint, these paintings will resonate with a very broad section of society,” Swinden expressed. 

Ships of the Sea Executive Director Molly Carrott Taylor is elated to have the exhibition come to Savannah.

“It is a real honor because the work is top quality and presents a really exciting moment in the United States naval history. And as a maritime museum, we’re thrilled to be a partner and present something that expands the view and stories told at Ships of the Sea,” she said. 

Taylor believes the vivid and detailed depictions presented within Beaumont’s works is a big part of what makes his paintings so compelling.

“It’s the visual illustration of actual battle. We have to remember that this was a time when people did not have televisions everywhere. . . He was illustrating for a national audience what was happening in World War II. The fact that his illustrations and watercolors were so vibrant and engaging and masterfully portray a moment in time is just exceptional,” Taylor explained. 

Ships of the Sea will be celebrating the exhibition with a special commemorative event on Thursday, April 6. There will be demonstrations, photo opportunities, museum tours, World War II-era music and cocktails and more. Geoffrey and Swinden will also be in attendance to share engaging stories about Beaumont’s life and work — for example, he was the first artist to witness and paint the atomic bomb, and he was also the first artist to paint both the North and South poles. 

“It’s going to be a really fun evening with lots of activity related to the paintings and celebrating World War II. Savannah was recently named a World War II historic site, and so this is wonderful for us to be able to celebrate Savannah’s role,” she stated. “Ships of the Sea is really telling a story about Savannah history because maritime history is Savannah history, for the 200 years that the museum site interprets as well as what Savannah’s role is in maritime history today. . . History really is being made every day in Savannah, and we are hoping to share the story of that.”

The Arthur Beaumont celebration will take place at Ships of the Sea Museum on April 6 at 5:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased in advance online at Eventbrite. For more information, visit shipsofthesea.org/arthurbeaumontcelebration/.

This article appears in Apr 1-30, 2023.