A first-class racing cutter, said by many authorities to be the finest yacht ever built from the plans of premier English designer George L. Watson. Ordered by Kaiser Wilhelm II, Emperor of Germany, she launched and immediately became the fastest racer on water in 1896. This is more impressive once it’s realized that her primary competitors were the big English cutters Britannia and Ailsa. In 22 starts that year, Meteor II won 13 1sts and 4 2nds, including the Queen’s Cup at both the Royal Northern Yacht Club and the Royal Ulster Yacht Club.

The then-enormous cutter yacht, her 103' black-hull obliterating the swell and tacking smartly with the wind, flies the Hohenzollern Eagle proudly aloft, while her competitors give chase. The public appetite for the big races was at its peak and with the ruling houses of two countries involved, it was the most widely followed sport of its day. The artist was well associated with clients from the highest echelons of society, and with his Scottish heritage, he found work in London as an illustrator of some of his countrymen’s best known literary works, such as Sir Walter Scott’s “The Tempest”. He undoubtably was directly commissioned to paint this royal racer.

The kaiser, while the eldest of Queen Victoria’s grandchildren, was a German nationalist through and through, and almost through his will alone drove the citizenry to take up competitive yachting and seamanship, which in turn assisted the drive toward developing a strong imperial navy. In the years before the coming turmoil of world war, the English and Germans were friendly and fierce competitors, and the first class cutters led all others.

In this fine ship portrait by S.H. Wilson the artist is depicting the same vessel in three positions. On the left is a starboard quarter view of ECLIPSE under full sail beating to weather. To the right we see her from the port bow running before the wind with stuns'ls set.

The central portrait is from the starboard beam as she clews up her main and fore courses preparing to rendezvous with Pilot Cutter #2 approaching on her port bow. It is interesting to note that all three views of the vessel are correct in regard to the ship's relationship to the prevailing wind and sea conditions, emphasizing Wilson's strong knowledge of the way of ships and the sea.

The 329-ton iron hulled ECLIPSE was built in 1849 for Beedle and Company. She measured 116' length overall with a beam of 24.8'. In 1860 she was purchased by G.T. Lawrence of Hull and was used mainly on the Mediterranean trade routes. She was still afloat into the 1880s.

This rare period image of a large British East India Company ship illustrates why William John Huggins is considered to be among the best early 19TH Century practitioners of ship portraiture. Many later marine artists attempted to copy Huggins’ technique, but few achieved his exacting imagery. Set upon a challenging green sea, the ship is a buzz with activity as sailors work aloft the backwinded ship. The artist completes the work with an exceptional view of the southeast port of Deal on the important English Channel coast.

This portrayal of the East India Company’s ship in 1825 is a fateful one. Launched in February of that year, KENT shortly set out on her maiden voyage for India, transporting troops and passengers. Reports have it that while battened down in the face of a heavy storm, an officer checking the hold dropped a lantern onto a cask of spirits. Immediately ablaze, all would probably have been lost if not for the arrival of the Brig CAMBRIA on the scene, to directly rescue hundreds. Another ship, CAROLINE, rescued many more from the sea after the KENT’s powder magazine exploded. In all more than 600 were rescued and less than 100 lives were lost.

Deal Castle, and the multi-storied buildings and the sandy shore before them, offers a glimpse into the make-up of this important Cinque Port. Originally established in the era of Henry the VIII, the Cinque Ports supplied the ships and seamen who anchored in the Downs. On a pleasant day, ships can easily arrive at Deal and enjoy the beach view, where a majority of the London urbanites enjoy coastal outings. Onboard the outbound KENT, not a hand lazily lays about while they work the sails and throw lines to the pilot yacht astern, where a man calls out to the ship through a speaking tube. This painting is likely the only period view of the KENT in existence.