Updated February 25 at 10:15 am: This has been sold.
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A magnificent large, hand-colored engraving printed in 1841, beautifully framed, showing an American sailing ship on the Mersey with Liverpool in the background, the stars and stripes flying proudly.
Engraved by James Carter based on the painting by George Chambers. See more on Chambers and Carter below.
Printed in Liverpool, England in December 1841. Beautifully framed and matted.
When you learn a little more about the Port of Liverpool, you understand why the artist chose it for the painting upon which this illustration is based. Liverpool's first dock was the world's first enclosed commercial dock, the Old Dock, built in 1715. Further docks were added and eventually all were interconnected by lock gates, extending 7.5 miles along the Liverpool bank of the River Mersey. At the time, the interconnected dock system was the most advanced port system in the world.
This is the text below the image:
The Port of Liverpool
Taken from Seacombe, Cheshire
To his Royal Highness Prince Albert, K.G. &. &.
This engraving of the Port of Liverpool is by Special permission dedicated
by his Royal Highnesses most obedient & very humble Servant Thomas Hague
Liverpool Published December 1, 1841 by Thomas Hague, 17 South Castle Street
Size:
- Frame: 32" x 45"
- Print (interior of mat): 23" x 36"
Shipping: $55. Will be shipped via UPS with a signature required.
About the artist who did the original painting on which this engraving is based
George Chambers was born in Whitby, Yorkshire, to a working-class family. He started working on coal sloops at age 8 and by 10, was a cabin boy, later apprenticing on trading vessels.
His natural talent for art led to his release from apprenticeship to pursue painting full-time. After working as a house painter and taking drawing lessons, he moved to London in 1825. There, his nautical-themed art gained popularity and early commissions, thanks to the support of Christopher Crawford and the patronage of naval officers and royalty, including King William IV and Queen Adelaide.
Chambers exhibited at the British Institution, Society of British Artists, and was a member of the Old Water-colour Society. His notable works include "A Fresh Breeze off Cowes" and "A Dutch Boier in a Fresh Breeze," both at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, and "The Bombardment of Algiers, 1816," a significant commission displayed in the same museum.
His career was prematurely ended by chronic ill health. Chambers died of heart failure at age 41 in Brighton on 29 October 1840, leaving behind a widow and three children, two of whom continued his artistic legacy as marine painters.
About the engraver, James Carter
James Carter was a British engraver who was born on December 23, 1798 in the London parish of Shoreditch, and while still young gained the silver medal of the Society of Arts for drawing.
He married Sarah Emily Wise on December 22, 1823 and died on August 23, 1855, leaving a wife and nine daughters.
Source: Wikipedia: George Chambers, James Carter