Motif Number 1, located on Bradley Wharf in the harbor town of Rockport, Massachusetts, is a fishing shack well known to students of art and art history as "the most often-painted building in America."[1][2]
Built in the 1840s as Rockport became home to a colony of artists and fishermen, the shack became a favorite subject of painters due to the composition and lighting of its location as well as being a symbol of New England maritime life. Painter Lester Hornby (1882–1956) is believed to be the first to call the shack "Motif Number 1,"[2] a reference to its being the favorite subject of the town's painters, and the name achieved general acceptance.
In the 1930s, painter John Buckley used the shack as his studio.[3] He sold it to the town in 1945, dedicated "In 1945, the town of Rockport purchased the Motif as a monument to Rockporters who had served in the Armed Services."[4] The town, recognizing its iconic value, has taken pains to preserve both its structure and appearance, finding a red paint which appears weather-beaten even when new,[5] and keeping the area clear of overhead wires, traffic signs and advertising.
The shack was destroyed during the Blizzard of 1978,[1] but an exact replica was constructed that same year.[5]
Apart from countless artists renderings, Motif Number 1 has appeared in other cultural media: