Corne, Michele Felice

Michel Felice Corne (1752-1845) was a well-known painter who made a name for himself in Salem.
Marine painter primarily, but also did landscapes, portraits and murals. Born on the island of Elba in Italy, probably 1752. He was brought to America by Elias Haskett Derby in 1799. He worked in Salem until 1806, working occasionally for Samuel McIntire and William King. Among his pupils in Salem were George Ropes, Hannah Crowninshield and Anstis Stone.
Corne next lived in Boston where he became well-known for his painting of ships and naval battles depicting the War of 1812. In 1822, he moved to Newport, R.I. where he died in 1845, at the age of 93.
Corne was known as a painter of wallpaper and frescoed wall decoration around the Salem area. He painted a fresco of Derby's fleet for the cupola in the Pickman-Derby mansion. The McIntire Cupola with its carved eagle was removed and placed in the garden of the Essex Institute where it remained until the 1970's. Though the cupola doesn't survive, the mural painting was possibly salvaged.

While living in Salem, Mr. Corne tried to introduce the tomato or "love apple" to the people here, who thought it was poisonous. Later, in Newport, R.I. he had success persuading friends to try the delicious fruit, the tomato.

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