Alexander Charles Stuart

Full Rigged Ship GATHERER

Circa 1874

This attractive portrait features the five-masted schooner ELINOR H. at full sail in an active sea. The ship has crisp lines and a sharp sense of detail, likely because it was painte...

William Astor Pilots the New York Yacht Club Run A superior and graceful schooner as grand as any ever built, AMBASSADRESS was William Backhouse Astor, Jr's "floating home" from its launch in 1877 until he sold it in 1884 and purchased his massive steam/sail yacht...

This fine portrait is of the merchant bark ST. GEORGE sailing past the South Stack Lighthouse, the last signaling station in a chain of twelve leading ships along the Welsh coast and out to sea from Liverpool Harbor. Painted with great detail throughout, the ship features multiple figures on deck, in full sail and with flags flying including that of her owners Hall and Fairweather of St. John, New Brunswick, Canada. The bright scene has particularly nice cloud work in the sky and features the stylized short, green swells with a touch of white spray typical of the Liverpool school artists. At her bow, another sailing ship heads...

With a great view of the city of Naples off her bow and Mount Vesuvius off her stern there's no doubt where this Baltimore Clipper Brig is located. This very well executed portrait has great detail of the port and ship with great coloration throughout and great reflections of the ship on the water. The ship is shown in full sail with flags flying. The ship was owned and Captained by Griffith Jones, a Welshman born 1831. Port Madoc refers to the Welsh City of Porthmadog- it was spelled Portmadoc before 1974. Her sloped bow and stern along with her size are typical of a Baltimore Clipper but her masts are not as raked as often seen in ships of this design and she is square rigged, though there are historical paintings and drawings of other Baltimore Clippers built in this way. Most of what we know about the Brig EPHRATAH is due to the famous wreck of her sister ship FROLIC, though FROLIC was built much earlier. FROLIC is considered the most important wreck on the West Coast of the United States. Dr. Tom Layton of Stanford University connected the two ships in his research on FROLIC.  EPHRATAH was slightly larger than FROLIC at 230 tons, 152’ with a breadth of 22’. She was built in 1873 for Griffith Jones & Co. who would also sail as her master. Jones was Welsh by birth, born in 1831 in Llannor.  FROLIC was built in Baltimore's Gardner Brothers shipyard for the Opium Trade. When steamers came along in the late 1850's it was perfect timing for FROLIC to switch to the busy California trade, fueled by the new California Gold Rush. FROLIC was carrying a rich cargo when she was shipwrecked off Point Cabrillo, California in 1850. When it was discovered in the 1980's the wreck...

19th Century British School Ship at Sea Oil on canvas laid on panel 11 x 14.5 inches 14.5 x 18 inches, framed Frame has chips and paint loss. See photos.

Attributed to Hin Qua (Chinese, 19th Century) Signed in pencil to the verso Marine Arts Company attribution label to verso Stamp referring to restoration treatment by Gustav D. Kli...

The former Curator of Oil Paintings at the National Maritime Museum, E H H Archibald, says of Joseph Heard in his Dictionary of Sea Painters in Europe and America that "…with Samuel Walters he must stand as the top-ranking Liverpool ship portraitist of the 19th century." He would have known the artist's work well as the National Maritime Museum has eleven paintings by Heard in its collection. Joseph Heard was born on 7th March 1799 in Egremont near Whitehaven in Cumberland. His father, also Joseph, was a saddler and it is believed that the aspirant painter received some artistic training from John Clementson who was a local portrait painter. Joseph had a brother Isaac who painted portraits. It is possible that Joseph came across the work of H Collins...

American School, Mid-19th Century The Clipper Mary Lee in High Seas Oil on canvas Unsigned 25 x 35 inches Craquelure commensurate with age, minor losses on frame.