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Thames sailing barge, 'Providence' of Rochester

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Date

early 1880s (?)

Description

Watercolour study of the Thames barge ‘Providence of Rochester' (as inscribed on the stern), used as an illustration in Wyllie's book 'Marine Painting in Watercolour', published in 1901.The mainmast has been lowered, a feature of these craft that enabled them to go under bridges. The sketch may have been done while this barge was waiting for maintenance, since Wyllie exhibited a watercolour called 'The Providence repairing' at the Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolours in 1885. Another drawing shown there was 'Gill's Yard' at Rochester, where this may have been done, since Wyllie knew the Gill family well in his long asociation with and residence on the River Medway. All the drawings in Wyllie's 1901 book were 'water-colour studies culled from his scrapbooks', not specially drawn for it (M.A. Wyllie, 'We Were One' [1935], p. 177) so this one could be from the early 1880s. A number of Thames barges survive in various roles, some fully active for leisure use, some as house barges, while others are available for chartering. Wyllie himself owned and sailed a Thames barge for a number of years, which he converted into a floating studio.

Image Licence

CC BY-NC-ND

Image Credit

Location

Medway, England

Country

England

Medium

Watercolour