Waiting for the Skipper
Painting
1871 (made)
1871 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Edwin Bale (1838-1923) seems to have tried to depict poorer children more realistically than some of his contemporaries did. In this case the boy's working clothes are only picturesque in the sense that their textures and colours make a convincing element in the composition of the painting. And while the boy may only be waiting for the skipper (master of the boat) in normal circumstances, the title and the stormy background acknowledge the uncertainties of life in fishing communities, where many families have waited in vain for the skipper and his crew to come home safely from a trip to sea
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Waiting for the Skipper (assigned by artist) |
| Materials and techniques | Watercolour |
| Brief description | Watercolour painting 'Waiting for the Skipper' by Edwin Bale, painted in England in 1871 |
| Physical description | The painting is of portrait proportions and shows a boy seated on a stretch of turf leading to a beach, with a stormy sea and sky in the background. He has short fair fair and grey-blue eyes, and is barefooted. He wears a blue sou'wester, patched and rolled up drab-coloured trousers with braces, and a teal-coloured jumper over a white shirt with a red print neckerchief. He is leaning on a heap of equipment which includes a basket, fishing nets and a small red keg, and is holding a length of net cord in his true left hand. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions | E.BALE.1871 (Signature; date; lower right corner; writing; paint) |
| Credit line | Dixon Bequest |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | Edwin Bale (1838-1923) seems to have tried to depict poorer children more realistically than some of his contemporaries did. In this case the boy's working clothes are only picturesque in the sense that their textures and colours make a convincing element in the composition of the painting. And while the boy may only be waiting for the skipper (master of the boat) in normal circumstances, the title and the stormy background acknowledge the uncertainties of life in fishing communities, where many families have waited in vain for the skipper and his crew to come home safely from a trip to sea |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 1167-1886 |
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| Record created | February 26, 2004 |
| Record URL |
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