Sailing Ships

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John Gowland.

Sailing Ships
Watercolour

Museum number 5-1962

This watercolour was painted by John Gowland, a seaman who was also an artist. It is dated August 22nd 1837, a time when whaling was in the midst of a crisis, as catches had been poor and the ice had sunk many ships. The painting shows a selection of sailing ships in Arctic seas, with a number of whaleboats in the water. The whaleboats are all wearing a distinctive flag, which will be used to identify the whales they hope to kill.