Archives: Artists

Specializing in ship portraits set within realistic atmospheres, Henry Scott offers historic champions of sail in his art. During his career he made the acquaintance of many 19th & early 20th century sailing captains. Earning their respect as well as developing an appreciative commercial art audience, Scott was made an honorary member of the International…

Edward Seago enjoyed the position as one of the most popular British artists of the 20th century. He began painting at the age of seven when he was confined to his room with a heart condition. Later, fully recovered, he would study with Bernard Priestman. He became a successful illustrator in the 1930’s, working for,…

Dominic Serres is considered to be one of the most talented and influential marine painters to emerge from eighteenth century Europe. Born in France to a family of nobility, he was urged by his parents to join the priesthood. His own vision, however, led him to Spain where he became a seaman. Captured and impressed…

Thornely was a member of the Royal Society of British Painters, working mainly in oil. He lived in London where he exhibited widely at some of the foremost venues of his day, including the Walker Art Gallery, the Suffolk Street gallery, the Manchester Art Gallery and many others. The artist’s family name was Thornbery, but…

The prestigious tudgay family of marine artists produced an impressive body of ship portraiture, working often in collaboration with one and another while taking singular commissions as well. Works exists in public and private collections which are signed I. Tudgay, L. Tudgay, J.& L. Tudgay, J. & F. Tudgay, and F. Tudgay. Whereas I., L.…

Although Miles Walters is today best known as the father of the pivotal Liverpool ship portraitist, Samuel Walters, he had achieved his own reputation as a marine painter by the time he settled his family in Liverpool in the 1820’s. One of two artistic sons born to John Walters, a boat builder in Ilfracombe, Devon,…

No single artist contributed more to recording the naval side of the French revolutionary wars than Thomas Whitcombe. His output was vast, including fifty paintings for plates in "Naval Achievements of Great Britain", published after the wars and at least one hundred additional paintings for wartime engravings. Born in London around 1752, little is known…

This exceptional British marine painter was born early in the 18th century and is known to have studied with both John Cleveley and Peter Monamy. He is noted as belonging to the first generation of British marine artists. In 1735 he was a messenger in the Royal Navy which accounts for his interest in naval…

Spencer worked in the tradition of the earlier Dutch masters using a formalized style to depict naval engagements and ship’s portraits. Unlike the majority of the artists of his day, he did not exhibit in London but worked almost exclusively from private commissions. The artist’s technique is meticulous and quite formalized. His sea battles were…

In the manner of his marine art, John Charles Robert Spurling settled on the straight-forward name of Jack. Fitting for a man who perceived the magnificence of sail, portraying it forth with beauty and realism of the highest order. His body of work entranced his audiences, including a favorable impression on a young Montague Dawson.…

Monamy felt that a larger object should offset, contrast and balance smaller objects in the picture. In this posture, he is considered the "most distinguished member of the immediate followers of the Dutch tradition". His popularity and success was highlighted by his being awarded the decoration of the gallery at Vauxhall Gardens for marine paintings.…

Barlow Moore’s painting career would seem to parallel that of the heyday of British yachting. Although little is known about the biographical details of this skilled London yacht painter, he is known to have exhibited his portraits at both the Royal Academy and the British Institute. Moore’s strong association with the Royal Yacht Squadron and…

This excellent ship portraitist began his life's work in Liverpool. It is believed that he later sailed to America and was employed in the capacity of a ship and figure portraitist in Boston (one of his works was published by Currier & Ives as a lithograph). As a majority of McFarlane’s works are unsigned, he…

A prolific painter of oils and watercolors, Mason is best known for his depictions of all varieties of ships, the English Coastline and harbor scenes. A unique quality to his work is his sensitivity to the subject matter while retaining a forthright painter’s strength using strong colors and straightforward technique. He was educated aboard the…

Evident in the works performed by Marshall, he was actively associated with the Pacific Steam Navigation Company and the Orient Steam Navigation Company, as his surviving paintings often depict their steam ships . there is a listing with the Ecole Beaux Arts in Paris that he studied there in 1877. With the strong identifications associated…

With a style said to be reminiscent of notable 19th century marine artists, such as the great marine master Winslow Homer, Neville Sotheby Pitcher focused his artistic vision toward seascapes and landscapes, as well as occasionally painting of figures at leisure. His broad -sometimes sweeping- brush strokes had a tendency to bring motion and emotion…

C.M. Powell’s early years as a seaman resulted in a thorough understanding of ships and the sea. A self-taught artist, Powell achieved a high level of achievement during his career. He exhibited at both the Royal Academy and the British Institution. The clarity in the drawing of his vessels and the precision of his figures…

British watercolorist Robert Pritchett was a London artist who specialized in marine views and landscapes. He was listed as a member of the Royal Society of British Artists in 1859 and was also a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries. Between 1851 and 1877 his works were exhibited at both the Royal Academy and Suffolk…

A Victorian painter who impacted several artistic fields and broadened the public's perceptions of fine art, Stanfield was a consummate professional. The fifth child of a mariner who became a theater performer, his father's occupations became the path for Clarkson's life work. A friendly associate of Joseph Mallord William Turner, Charles Dickens and notable artisans…

Although not a Liverpool artist, Wilson is included among their ranks because many of his paintings suggest a Liverpool influence. He was essentially a painter of the Hull Marine School being based there for most of his career. Five of his paintings survive at the Town Docks Museum in Hull. Wilson specialized in ship’s portraiture,…