Origin: British

Born in London, the senior member and best known of a family of painters, Abraham Hulk studied in Holland at the Amsterdam Academy under portrait painter Jean Augustin Daiwaille. He is one of the very few only foreign-born artists ever to be admitted to this prestigious academy. Early on he turned from portraits to marine…

The son and nephew of prolific landscape and seascape painters Alfred (fl.1869-1893) and Gustave (fl.1877-1892), Alfred de Breanski, Jr. achieved substantial acclaim in his own right during a notable career that spanned over 60 years. Taught by both men, his techniques and trained eye for overall composition emulates, and in some cases, surpasses his family…

Born within a family of painters, Arthur Joseph Meadows may rightly be considered the leading member of this prodigious and prolific group. His father James Meadows, Sr. instilled in him a technical appreciation for accurate coastal views of Europe, and young Arthur set out to see and paint as many as he could find. Traveling…

British artist Arthur Trevor Haddon was both an oil painter and watercolorist who specialized in landscapes, seascapes and the country genre. He was also a skilled portraitist and painter of figures. In 1883, at the age of 19, he won a 3 year art scholarship to the Slade schools in England and later studied painting…

An artist of significant reputation and merit, Arthur Wellington Fowles is generally regarded as the British equivalent of the noted American marine artist, James E. Buttersworth. Where Buttersworth often portrayed vessels of the New York Yacht Club, Fowles flourished as official painter to England’s prestigious Royal Yacht Squadron. Fowles was born in the town of…

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…

The youngest brother of noted British marine watercolorist Charles Napier Hemy (1841-1917) and Thomas Hemy (1852-1937) also a marine painter, Bernard Hemy was born in Australia where his family had emigrated in 1852. Like both of his siblings, he later returned to his family’s traditional home at Newcastle-on-Tyne where he settled to paint for the…

Born into the Victorian age, Gribble was raised in South Kensington, where he studied at the school of art, under Albert Toft. He took to art as a scholarly profession, studying for a time in Belgium before heading for London. Exposed to the height of British marine painting, he settled in Dorsett, becoming a resident…

Charles Gregory was born and painted his entire life on the isle of wight, known then, as now, as the yachting capitol of Great Britain and where the schooner yacht AMERICA captured the cup that still bears her name. Gregory was quite well known in his lifetime and considered the premier yacht portraitist of his…

De Lacy was born in Sunderland, England and took his artistic training at Lambeth, South Kensington and the National Gallery. He worked initially as an illustrator for periodicals such as the London Illustrated News, Graphic, and sporting magazines. He eventually became known as a painter of Thames river shipping scenes, marine views and battle portraits.…

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…

Hemy was one of the nineteenth century’s most skilled masters of coastal and harbor painting. Extremely popular during his lifetime he achieved substantial recognition as a marine artist among both critics and collectors. His painting "Pilchards" (1897) is considered one of the all time masterpieces of the maritime genre. Born in Newcastle-on-Tyne, Hemy spent time…

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…

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…

Charles Arthur Lodder was a Royal Naval officer and artist in Victorian England. Lodder served as Midshipman of the Powerful 84, Commodore Chas. Napier, during all the operations on the coast of Syria, including the bombardment of St. Jean d'Acre. He passed his examination 7 July, 1842; was employed in the Mediterranean, as Mate, from…

The born son of the Austrian counsel to England in 1801, Conrad Martens is most widely known as an artist-explorer who served onboard the South American Exposition ship BEAGLE alongside of naturalist Charles Darwin. His original 1833-35 sketches led to painting commissions for more than 40 years. Fate and opportunity collided to make Martens an…

Biographical information on this skilled British marine artist to date remains elusive. Prolific in his output of quality sea pictures. Paintings by David James have been favorably compared to the best works of Henry Moore and John Brett. Today their value is considered beyond those of both these popular British sea painters. Born in Cornwall…

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…

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…

Few records remain of the life of this 19th century English artist, except that he excelled at painting great battle scenes of the British Navy.

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,…

The London-born son of engraver George Cooke, Edward's first artistic endeavor was the sketch book, "Shipping and Craft" in which he presented 50-plate engravings from his drawings of sea-going vessels. Six years later he would begin a long association with the British Royal Academy, where he would exhibit 129 paintings over his career. Scholarly pursuits…

Born in Nottingham, England, Edwin Ellis studied under Henry Dawson, the father of noted sea painter Montague Dawson. The artist originally started his working life in a Nottingham lace factory, but soon moved to London where he spent 23 years of his working career painting primarily marine views and landscapes. In London, Ellis exhibited at…

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…

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…

Frederick Tudgay, youngest member of and considered the most talented of the prestigious Tudgay family of marine artists, produced throughout his career an impressive body of ship portraiture. Working occasionally in collaboration with his father, John, it was Frederick’s talent for portraying detail and his draftsmanlike technique that drew the attention of the maritime community.…

The English artist Fredrick Haynes was a gifted sea painter whose paintings were exhibited little during his lifetime. Although not a well known artist, Haynes’ paintings show a good deal of merit in their treatment of sea, sky and color, all composed

A Londoner, most of the recorded history about the life of George Cochrane Kerr relates strictly to his skill with his chosen medium, watercolor. It is known he went abroad to France to study in the 1870s, and impassioned works of the country's coastal views dominate his output during this decade. Once returned to Britain,…

Parker Greenwood was an accomplished Liverpool artist well known for his ship portraiture, which included many of the impressive Atlantic liners, painted on direct commissions from the Cunard & White Star Lines. He depicted the graceful sailing greyhounds of the 19th century, as well as a great variety of shipping and maritime activities. Greenwood was…

Gustave de Breanski's name, like that of his older brother Alfred, is synonymous with attractive landscapes and coastal scenes. The de Breanskis were prolific painters who described themselves as landscape artists, but in Gustave's case the majority of his work is made up of seascapes and inshore scenes. All seven of his Royal Academy exhibits…

British marine painter Harold Percival was a skilled watercolourist who created refined sea pieces that were both attractive and historically accurate. His technique employed subtle coloration with sharply defined detail. Percival was a membe

Although relatively little biographical details of Tozer’s life have been uncovered to date, it is known that he was centered a-round the area of Cape Cornwall in the south of England. As one of the greatest regions for ships, this proved a fertile area

A local born artist of Kingston-on-Hull, he established himself in the footsteps of John Ward, and quickly rose to prominence among the painters of the third largest port of Britain and the reputed "biggest fishing port in the world". He worked almost exclusively with an agent, James Eyre Jackson, and exhibited in London in 1871.…

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…

A period artist of the last quarter of the British 19th Century, the paintings of Edmunds are as desirable for their artistic merit as they are for their strong historic content. As an artist Edmunds is one we have noticed previously, but very little public information exists about him. His technical strength and ability are…

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…

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.…

Drummond was a member of the royal Scottish Academy and the royal society of British artists. He exhibited with both as well as other top London galleries in his day, achieving a significant measure of success. His works are in the Victoria & Albert mu

A self-taught artist of the Liverpool School, John Hughes was born in that seafaring town in 1806. He was a very competent marine painter, the majority of whose works were done for export to America. It is interesting to note that of all the known works by John Hughes only a very few survive in…

John Scott was a Newcastle painter who worked in oils. He is noted for his strong capacity in the skillful handling of detail and his more than competent treatment of sea and sky. His style has been favorably compared to that of British marine artist William John Huggins in its quality and appeal. Scott was…

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.…

John Wilson Carmichael was born in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, the son of a ship’s carpenter. As a youth he apprenticed to a shipbuilder, drawing and designing. He is known to have spent time at sea including voyages aboard adventure and beagle with Charles Darwin. He began painting in watercolors and his first oils appeared around 1825. His…

Witham was born in Bognor Regis, England, the son of a cabinet maker. He initially earned his living as a mariner and his early love of the sea remained with the artist throughout his life. In 1874, he moved ashore and brought his family to the important shipping port of Liverpool where he established himself…

Artist Kenneth Grant, is not someone with a very public biography. We know that he was born in England inÊ1934 but beyond that it appears that this artist has decided to let his work stand for itself. He is known to specialize in maritime scenes and from his works it’s clear he is knowledgeable about…

Born in London, this contemporary marine artist has excelled in fine marine art images since 1971. Prior to this he ran a success design studio and earned a membership to the Royal Academy of Industrial Artists and Designers. He attended the Sutton & Cheam School of Art and followed that with studies at the City…

Leslie Arthur Wilcox, RI, RSMA was highly skilled maritime artist whose work achieved great recognition in his lifetime which led a number of commissions for both Royal and museum clients in his native Britain. While he is best known for paintings in oil, Wilcox was also a watercolorist, illustrator, poster artist, marine model-maker and author.…

Born on the Isle of Wight where he is still resident, the son of a marine engineer in the Merchant Navy and a grandson of the owner of a fleet of trawlers, his earliest days were spent around boats and harbours, and drawing and painting his surroundings came as a natural extension to this way…

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,…

Montague Dawson Is widely considered the best known sea painter of the 20th Century, and one of the most skilled craftsman in the direct line of English marine artists. He is noted for his unerringly beautiful ships, the weight and surging power of his waves and the scudding grace of his skies. In a painting…

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…

Nicholas Matthews Condy was the son of English landscape artist Nicholas Condy (1793-1857) and while both achieved some acclaim in their lifetimes; the two are sometimes confused with each other. For this reason Nicholas Matthews Condy is sometimes referred to as Nicholas Condy the Younger. N.M. Condy was born at Union Street, Plymouth, in 1818.…

Nicolas Pocock earned an immortal fame as a member of the first generation of British sea painters, following the Dutch tradition of the Van de Veldes alongside such notables as Isaac Sailmaker, Peter Monamy, Dominic Serres and Charles Brooking. The foundation of marine painting built by these men would change the art world's perceptions for…

Born in Cambridge, Wilkinson later found satisfaction living with his family in Southsea where he spent time along the Solent painting and sketching. He enrolled at Portsmouth School of Art receiving his art masters certificate, later studying under Louis Grier at St. Ives. He made numerous passages in both coastal colliers and upon deep water…

Percy Dalton painted in the early 20th century and created strong images highlighting the past and present British and American seafaring traditions. His body of work includes a number of excellent ship portraits such as this fine rendering of the American flag brig NEPTUNE. He worked mainly in watercolors with strong attention to accuracy in…

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.…

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…