WORKING SAIL

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Anatol
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WORKING SAIL

Post by Anatol » Sun Mar 22, 2015 5:43 pm

In 2015 Britain issued a miniature sheet dedicated to working sailing ships.It is fishing and cargo boats of types relevant to regions of the UK. All paintings date from around the turn of the 19th / 20th Century. Philip Parker, Royal Mail Stamps spokesman, said the stamps would be a reminder of a “proud heritage”.He said: “The UK has a rich maritime heritage, especially the working sailboats which served their communities throughout the 19th and into the 20th centuries. “Whether for fishing or for carrying cargo or guiding larger vessels into port, these vessels were the workhorses of the sea, captured forever by the pierhead painters of the era. These new stamps are a reminder of this proud heritage.”
Over the centuries, the beauty of sailing ships inspired innumerable grand paintings, including enormous seascapes and complex battle scenes – but it is the work of folk artists who painted on a more humble scale, observing ships as they came into the port, that has captured for posterity many types of traditional merchant and fishing vessels in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. These artists, often collectively known as the ‘pierhead’ painters, would seek commissions among the owners and crew of a ship in port. They would sketch from life and produce portraits of the vessel before the ship sailed again, usually within days. The typical portrait was a broadside view of the vessel at sea or leaving harbour, with details added in the background to help identify the location. Pierhead painting forms a distinct genre of popular, or folk, art. The earliest examples appear in the 18th century though most date from the late 19th and early 20th century. They are mostly simple portraits of merchant ships and fishing vessels. They have little in common with the elaborate seascape of the traditional and academic schools of marine art. Pierhead artists are often described as naïve but this does not account for the skill of some of these artists. Neither does it allow for the accurate and often quite meticulous attention to detail. Those pictures that survive preserve, with accurate details, the only pictorial evidence of certain historic types of vessel. The vessel always took precedence in the painting and the background, often out of scale, served to mainly identify the port. The style of Pierhead originated in Europe, where schools of artists grew up in the main ports catering for visiting merchant vessels. The development of this genre linked to the expansion in merchant trade that took place in the early 19th century. These paintings needed to be produced and sold quickly before potential customers left port, so the designs became standardised for quick and easy production. Little is known about many of the ‘Pierhead painters’ beyond the names they signed. They were usually selftaught and consequently their work is free of formal painting technique. Ship portraiture was often a sideline activity to supplement an income. However for a few artists, it became their means of livelihood.
From top right: Falcon, Briar, Harry, Stag, Margaret and Nell Morgan.
The stamps in detail:
Falcon (Pilot boat) by JW Green, 1897
John William Green (1863–1951) was a keen amateur artist, working in pen and ink, watercolours and oils. He had a particular interest in painting and drawing vessels seen in Fleetwood.
Briar (Herring Drifter) by Alexander Harwood, 1907
Alexander Harwood (1873–1943) moved to Aberdeen in his twenties and worked as a fish porter for most of his life. He was a prolific amateur artist and painted hundreds of portraits of Aberdeen trawlers, working in watercolours, oils and gouache.
Harry (Humber Sloop) by Reuben Chappell, date unknown
Reuben Chappell (1870–1940) was born in Goole and from an early age showed a talent for drawing ships. He made his living by painting ships and selling his oils and watercolours to seamen, first in Goole and then in Cornwall, where he became well known locally.
Margaret (Fifie) by Henry Lawson, 1890
Henry Lawson (1872–1966) was a fisherman in Pittenweem who, as a teenager, earned extra money by painting boats. The Margaret was his father’s first boat and was used for line-fishing as well as drift-netting.
Stag (Grimsby Smack) attributed to George Race, date unknown
George Race (1872–1957) lived in Cleethorpes and specialised in painting portraits of trawlers arriving at the dock and would then sell his work to the seamen before their vessel left the port.
Nell Morgan (Smack) by G Ramsey, 1886
Not much is known about G Ramsey, except that he lived in Norfolk and presumed to have been among the local ‘pierhead’ painters. He actively painted sailing vessels between 1856 and 1889.

Great Britan 2015;(6x100g);Ms.
http://www.norphil.co.uk/2015/02a-Worki ... stamps.htm
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