Artist

John Orne Johnson Frost

born Marblehead, MA 1852-died Marblehead, MA 1928
Media - portrait_image_113535.jpg - 90295
Copyright Unknown.
Also known as
  • J. O. J. Frost
Born
Marblehead, Massachusetts, United States
Died
Marblehead, Massachusetts, United States
Biography

J. O. J. Frost grew up surrounded by the maritime lore of his native Marblehead, Massachusetts. He went to sea at age sixteen for two years, but gave up being a fisherman in 1870 to run a seafood restaurant for most of his life. After his wife's suicide in 1919, Frost began to paint and sculpt in an effort to educate the citizens of Marblehead about the history of their town. By 1925, he had built a small museum behind his house in which to exhibit his work. Although the people of Marblehead displayed little interest in the museum, it did become a minor tourist attraction.

Lynda Roscoe Hartigan Made with Passion: The Hemphill Folk Art Collection in the National Museum of American Art (Washington, D.C. and London: National Museum of American Art with the Smithsonian Institution Press, 1990)

Works by this artist (3 items)

John Orne Johnson Frost, "BLUE DOG" Shark, ca. 1922-1928, carved and painted wood with iron hooks, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson, 1986.65.247
“BLUE DOG” Shark
Artist
Dateca. 1922-1928
carved and painted wood with iron hooks
On view
John Orne Johnson Frost, PORPOISE, ca. 1922-1928, carved and painted wood with iron hooks, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson, 1986.65.246
PORPOISE
Artist
Dateca. 1922-1928
carved and painted wood with iron hooks
Not on view
John Orne Johnson Frost, The Marblehead Fishermen, ca. 1922 - 1928, oil on board, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Josh Feldstein, 2015.56.3
The Marblehead Fishermen
Artist
Dateca. 1922 - 1928
oil on board
Not on view