LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the birth
of John A. Noble, one of the Nation's most distinguished marine artists

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to pay tribute to
those individuals of historic and artistic significance whose creative
talents have contributed to the cultural enrichment of our communities
and our Nation; and
WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its long-
standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to commem-
orate the 100th Anniversary of the birth of John A. Noble, one of the
Nation's most distinguished marine artists, to be celebrated on Satur-
day, March 16, 2013, at the Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical
Garden, Staten Island, New York; and
WHEREAS, The Noble Maritime Collection is celebrating the occasion
with year-long programs called Tides of 100 Years; and
WHEREAS, Born in Paris in 1913, John A. Noble, one of America's
distinguished marine artists, was a man whose love of this country's
maritime life was unbounded; and
WHEREAS, The son of the noted American Romantic painter, John Noble
(1874-1934), John A. Noble spent his early years in the art studios of
his father and his contemporaries; and
WHEREAS, John A. Noble moved with his family to Provincetown, Massa-
chusetts in 1919, and later to New York City, as his father's prominence
grew; and
WHEREAS, From 1928 until 1945, John A. Noble worked as a seaman on
schooners and in marine salvage; and
WHEREAS, In 1928, while on a schooner that was towing out down the
Kill van Kull, the waterway that separates Staten Island from New
Jersey, John A. Noble saw the old Port Johnston coal docks for the first
time; and
WHEREAS, John A. Noble took a job as a watchman there and began to
build his floating studio from salvaged vessel parts; and
WHEREAS, From 1946 on, John A. Noble devoted himself exclusively to
his art; and
WHEREAS, Often accompanied by his wife, Susan, John A. Noble set off
from the houseboat in a rowboat to explore the Harbor; these explora-
tions resulted in a unique record of Harbor history in which its charac-
ters, industries, and vessels are faithfully recorded; and
WHEREAS, John A. Noble's lithographs, drawings, oil paintings and
writings, along with his marine photographs, are housed at the Noble
Maritime Collection, in a former mariners' dormitory on the grounds of
Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Garden; and
WHEREAS, The museum's centerpiece is John A. Noble's houseboat studio;
and
WHEREAS, The museum, founded in 1987, celebrates the people and tradi-
tions of the working waterfront with exhibitions, programs, and through
public access to its maritime art library and archives; and
WHEREAS, It is the intent of this Legislative Body to honor and pay
tribute to those individuals whose commitment and creative talents have
contributed to the entertainment and cultural enrichment of the citizens
of the State of New York; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the birth of John A. Noble, one of
the Nation's most distinguished marine artists; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to the Noble Maritime Collection at the Snug Harbor Cultural
Center and Botanical Garden, Staten Island, New York.