Ship in harbour
Photograph
1855-1856 (photographed)
1855-1856 (photographed)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
Viewed from an adjacent dock, this fully rigged, warship dominates the quay side. Its bow mast is centrally placed in the image. Rigging from this ship and masts of other tall ships criss-cross the sky.
Albuminised print with poor coating of the paper negative at the corners and edges of the print, the upper two corners have been cut.
Albuminised print with poor coating of the paper negative at the corners and edges of the print, the upper two corners have been cut.
Object details
Object type | |
Title | Ship in harbour (generic title) |
Materials and techniques | albuminised paper print from paper negative |
Brief description | The Shannon in Portsmouth harbour |
Physical description | Viewed from an adjacent dock, this fully rigged, warship dominates the quay side. Its bow mast is centrally placed in the image. Rigging from this ship and masts of other tall ships criss-cross the sky. Albuminised print with poor coating of the paper negative at the corners and edges of the print, the upper two corners have been cut. |
Object history | During the 1830s William Henry Fox Talbot invented a way of making paper negatives and from them multiple paper prints. In doing so, he laid the foundations of modern photography. Calvert Richard Jones learned of these developments in 1839 through a neighbour, who was a cousin of Talbot. Jones made many pictures in the West of England and South Wales, where he lived. He also travelled widely, making photographs on the continent. Jones' work stands out in the early development of photography because he was one of the first to apply a schooled artist's eye to the medium. Jones made many maritime photographs and often they reveal his interest in technological developments in shipping. This image is one of three views of the 'Shannon', a fifty-one gun screw frigate, a new fast warship with steam as well as sail power. The photograph is also an example of Jones' use of linear elements in his compositions, both in the stepped horizontal line of the foreground dock-side and in the web of rigging. |
Historical context | The mid-nineteenth century was an important transitional period in shipping. Trading, communications and war drove the development of steam screw technology of fast boats, which still needed sails. Between November 1855 and September 1856, the Shannon was in No.1 basin at Portsmouth harbour for fitting out. In this photograph her funnel is not yet in place. |
Subjects depicted | |
Place depicted | |
Associated object | |
Collection | |
Accession number | PH.118-1983 |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
Record created | July 17, 2008 |
Record URL |
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest