Category: Culture: songs, stories, photography and art

Traditions and culture relevant to the world of real boating and sailors

Monet’s paintings of French rowing and sailing boats, and the sea

[ad name=”intheboatshed-post”]

Monet’s paintings of traditional French rowing and sailing boats

French painter Monet was clearly fascinated by both boats and the sea’s ever-changing mood and light

Monet’s paintings of traditional French rowing and sailing boats Monet’s paintings of traditional French rowing and sailing boats Monet’s paintings of traditional French rowing and sailing boats

Monet’s paintings of traditional French rowing and sailing boats Monet’s paintings of traditional French rowing and sailing boats Monet’s paintings of traditional French rowing and sailing boats

Monet’s paintings of traditional French rowing and sailing boats Monet’s paintings of traditional French rowing and sailing boats Monet’s paintings of traditional French rowing and sailing boats

Monet’s paintings of traditional French rowing and sailing boats Monet’s paintings of traditional French rowing and sailing boats

I’ve never been a great fan of the French painter Monet – I’ve often thought his work to be somehow a little unsatisfactory and even chocolate-boxy. But these images sent by my friend Ed have pretty well changed my mind. It’s difficult not to like the work of a painter so obviously fascinated by both sailing and rowing boats, but also by the moods of the sea and the light that plays upon it. Click on the images and decide for yourself…

Thanks Ed, for so painlessly changing my point of view!

Amazon offers books of Monet prints, but the one I’d recommend is the one published in conjunction with a Tate Gallery exhibition of paintings by Turner, Whistler and Monet. I went to the show, and at the time I was particularly bowled over by both the Whistler and Monet paintings of the River Thames and its ships, boats, lighters and barges of the time. And, of course, the famous Turners are even more mind-blowing in real life…

For more on boat- and ship-related culture, songs, stories, photography and art, click here: http://intheboatshed.net/category/culture-songs-stories-art/

More photos from The Yachtsman – including a legendary actress and mistress to Royalty

[ad name=”intheboatshed-post”]

More photos from The Yachtsman - including a legendary actress and mistress to Royalty - racing sailing yacht Caress rigged as a yawl

Racing sailing yacht Caress rigged as a yawl pictured in The Yachtsman

Caress photographed in a supplement to The Yachtsman No 527, dated May 1901. Photo by Debenham, Cowes. Note the private steam yachts in background; the rigged ship is a steam yacht also.

More photos from The Yachtsman - including a legendary actress and mistress to Royalty - racing sailing yacht Ma’oona in 1908 More photos from The Yachtsman - including a legendary actress and mistress to Royalty - racing sailing yacht Charmaine

Racing yachts Ma’oona and Charmian pictured in The Yachtsman

Ma’oona was owned by Mr Almeric Paget, and the photo taken by Kirk & Son of Cowes appeared in a supplement to The Yachtsman published on October 8th, 1908. The photo of Charmian comes from another supplement dated January 1897, and was taken by Messrs Adamson of Rothesay, NB. Jeff points out that there may be a hulk moored in the background.

More photos from The Yachtsman - legendary actress and mistress to Royalty Lily Langtree pictured being rowed by her sailors More photos from The Yachtsman - steam yacht White Lady owned by legendary actress and mistress to Royalty Lily Langtree

Mrs Lily Langtree steering her steam yacht’s long boat off Hyeres; Mrs Langtrees yacht White Lady, again off Hyeres
These last two photos are from The Sketch, July 10, 1895. Lily Langtry was an extraordinary character who had many wealthy lovers including Queen Victoria’s son Albert Edward (known as Bertie), who was the then Prince of Wales and later became King Edward VII. Her story is told by the online Lily Langtry Museum and by a Wikipedia page.

My thanks go to Jeff Cole for supplying the photos. For more photos from this source, click here:
http://intheboatshed.net/2007/08/23/grand-old-yacht-photos/
For more on boat- and ship-related culture, songs, stories, photography and art, click here: http://intheboatshed.net/category/culture-songs-stories-art/

PS – There’s a news article about the sale of the White Lady here, and another photo here. My thanks to Ted Robbens for pointing out.

Grand yacht photos from The Yachtsman of more 100 years ago

[ad name=”intheboatshed-post”]

Click on the images for larger photos

Polaris and Tangerine

Solent one-design class yachts Polaris and Tangerine, photographed by West & Son, Southsea. The photo appeared in a supplement to The Yachtsman number 357, Feb 1898

Japonica

Japonica, shot by the same photographers, presented in a supplement The Yachtsman number 562, January 1902

Mohawk

Mohawk photomezzotype by the London Stereoscopic Co, published in a supplement to The Yachtsman number 141, Dec 1893

Jeff Cole sent these grand old racing yacht images from Australia overnight. I’m afraid that Googling for these boats has not revealed much for me (I gather there are too many Solent one-designs to be sure about Polaris and Tangerine), but they’re great anyway. Just look at the detail you can see Continue reading “Grand yacht photos from The Yachtsman of more 100 years ago”