Montague Dawson's renown rested principally on his skill in depicting the great clipper ships in the "days of sail" in the late 19th century. Collectors of his early paintings included Queen Elizabeth II and American Presidents of the time, including Dwight Eisenhower and Lyndon Johnson.
Montague Dawson himself declared: "My painting gives me a tremendous sense of exhilaration, almost as if I am there on the ship itself. ... You have to get life into a marine painting to make a ship move through the water, be lifted by the waves. There are a great number of paintings of ships which are not marine paintings at all, simply paintings of ships. ... People want a ship as a point of focus and interest. But I only look on the ship as part of the whole composition. I like to get a broad sky effect as well. I am after atmosphere in the elements."
"Of all ships, the clipper thrills me the most. There is terrific romance in a sail. No yacht or any other boat has the beauty of a sailing ship bowling along in a spanking breeze - the hum and thrill of the sails."
The clipper ships thrived in the half century from 1840. Built originally for the profitable tea trade from China, clippers were tall, elegant and much faster than contemporary merchant ships. They were long and thin, with sharp bows, rigged masts and billowing sails. Originally created for trade, the glamour of the new ships caught the attention of the public and soon the ships were racing each other across the world’s oceans in an attempt to set faster and faster times for their shipping routes, in what was becoming a smaller and smaller world.
Each print is hand numbered, accompanied by a certificate signed by the Master Printer and is numbered to match the print. The editions are limited to 1880 copies. Other canvas sizes are available on request.
