Jack Spurling

1870 - 1933

Biography"Jack" Spurling grew up near London’s East India Docks at Blackwall and at the age of 16 served on the ASTORIA as an apprentice. Despite seriously injuring himself when he fell from the main upper topsail yard to the deck, Spurling spent many years at sea gaining his second mate's certificate and served aboard one of Devitt & Moore's sail training vessels and later aboard the Blue Anchor line of steamers.

As a young man on the docks and later throughout his life at sea Spurling had sketched and painted scenes around him. He showed enormous talent and at one stage was receiving commissions from other seafarers for his work. Later in life he became well known in maritime circles for his covers of the magazine 'The Blue Peter: The Magazine of Sea Travel'. Readers responded to Spurling's accurate yet dramatic images of clipper ships at sea and were offered the chance to buy copies, further raising Spurling's popularity.

Spurling's experience on sailing ships gave his paintings an authenticity that was obvious to those with a love of the sea. In addition, it is said that the editor of the Blue Peter, Frederick Hook, offered a reward to anyone who could fault the rigging on one of Spurling’s paintings – the reward was never paid.

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