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The Flagship the Orient Company's RMS OSTERLEY Anniversary Regatta Sydney Harbour
The Flagship the Orient Company's RMS OSTERLEY Anniversary Regatta Sydney Harbour

The Flagship the Orient Company's RMS OSTERLEY Anniversary Regatta Sydney Harbour

Artist (Australian, 1883 - 1937)
Date1925 - 1930
Object number00006004
NamePainting
MediumOil paint, board
DimensionsOverall: 644 × 749 mm, 5.2 kg
ClassificationsArt
Credit LineANMM Collection
Collections
DescriptionOil painting by Charles Bryant depicting 18 footers racing in a north easterly wind on Sydney Harbour during an anniversary day regatta. An Orient line passenger ship is acting as flag ship and the race is being watched by a ferry with spectators. This painting appeared in the March 1930 edition of the BP magazine with the title 'The Flagship the Orient Company's RMS OSTERLEY Anniversary Regatta on Sydney Harbour'.HistoryRegattas were central to competitive boating in the 19th century and functioned as a social and sporting event, as well as a marker of official anniversaries in a public aquatic spectacle. Civic leaders, politicians and merchants offered patronage and sponsorship. This community regatta often featured several races, including rowing, sculling and sailing events usually for professional watermen and amateurs. Anniversary Day Regattas were an anticipated social and sporting event in the Sydney calendar. The Anniversary Regatta was first held in 1837 after a group of citizens from Sydney decided to celebrate the landing of the First Fleet on 26 January 1788. The regatta consisted of rowing and sailing races and always had a flagship, usually a merchant ship or passenger liner. This social and sporting event was very popular with the public who would take picnic refreshments to the foreshore and attend balls and recitals in the evening. The artist Charles Byrant worked in Sydney from 1922 to 1931 and then returned to England. RMS OSTERLY was a steamship of 12,129 tons built in 1909. It sailed regularly in the passenger trade from London to Australia via the Suez Canal until 1929.SignificanceThis painting represents the role of 18-foot skiff racing in Sydney Harbour during the first half of the 20th century.