GEORGE MARSHALL
Date1854-1862
Object number00006989
NamePainting
MediumOil on canvas
DimensionsOverall: 805 x 1225 mm, 6.6 kg
ClassificationsArt
Credit LineANMM Collection
DescriptionDepicts the clipper ship GEORGE MARSHALL broadside under sail accompanied by other vessels along an unidentified coastline. The ship was owned and built by George Marshall and used on the UK to Australia immigrant shipping route.HistoryThe era of the clipper ships was dominated by a sense of romance, competition, national pride and innovative technology. These sleek and graceful ships were a symbol of American modernity and fundamental to the expanding global economy. Their design concentrated on speed instead of cargo capacity, a great benefit to shipping companies eager to transport goods quickly. Ship portraits were popular commissions from ship Captains and merchants who wanted to commemorate a particular vessel or maritime event. The development of lithographs and etchings in the mid-19th century made ship portraits more accessible.
The GEORGE MARSHALL was a 1208 ton wooden, full rigged ship built at Shields, England in 1854. The vessel was built for the fleet of the Marshall and Eldridge Line of Australian Packet Ships and was typical of the English clipper ships which carried passengers to Australia after the gold rushes of the 1850s. The GEORGE MARSHALL made at least six voyages to Australia between 1854 and 1861. On 14 January 1862, the ship struck rocks in a storm and was wrecked on the west coast of Flinders Island in Bass Strait, fortunately without loss of life.SignificanceThis ship portrait highlights the migration of people to Australia during the mid-19th century. The choice to emigrate or remain at home was a decision faced by many families in the 1800s.
