The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of October 5, 2026

A horizontally oriented etching in black ink on beige paper overlooks a massive wooden building on a waterfront. In the foreground, skeletal boat hulks rest in the water. Dense hatching creates heavy shadows across the building's tiered levels, while tiny figures stand on the dock. To the left, a utility pole stands near smaller structures. Across the water, rolling hills stretch toward a sky filled with dark, swirling clouds.

Hulks

c. 1929

Orville Houghton Peets

(American, 1884–1968)
America, Ohio, Cleveland
etching
Plate: 12.7 x 15.2 cm (5 x 6 in.)
Gift of The Print Club of Cleveland 1930.155
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

This etching won the first prize in the etching category at the Cleveland Museum of Art’s 1930 May Show and received a gold medal from the Print Makers Society of California.

Description

Though scenes of American Regionalism became popular in the 1930s, Peets had been creating realist landscapes long before this image. The rickety waterfront structure pictured here could have been around Woodstock, New York, where the artist lived at the time. The building may have been used for storing boats or supplies. Small figures on the lower left side, along with a cropped smoke cloud above, indicate the area’s continued use.
  • 1930
    The Print Club of Cleveland, Cleveland, OH, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    1930-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Orville Houghton Peets Entry Card to 1930 May Show. Cleveland Museum of Art May Show Records, Cleveland Museum of Art Archives. archive.org
  • Prints by Cleveland Artists. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (July 10-October 9, 1935).
    The May Show: 12th Annual Exhibition of Works by Cleveland Artists and Craftsmen. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (April 22-June 1, 1930).
  • {{cite web|title=Hulks|url=false|author=Orville Houghton Peets|year=c. 1929|access-date=05 October 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1930.155