Painting of the Packet Ship <i>Star of the East</i>
date: label: date made
content: ca 1855
name: label: maker
content: Walters, George Stanfield
notes: label: Description
content: The <i>Star of the East</i> was built in St. John, New Brunswick by W. & R. Wright. It measured 202 feet long and 1,219 tons. It traded between England, Australia, India and China. It took only 76 days to make its first trip from Liverpool to Melbourne. <i>Star of the East</i> was later bought by James Beazley for transporting British emigrants to Australia. It wrecked at Storing Bay, Africa in 1861.
label: Description
content: The painting is a starboard view of <i>Star of the East</i> as it is headed inward from the Mersey River to Liverpool harbor. Several other ships are visible in the distance. In the background the north docks are visible with the Muspratt chimney and Victoria tower. Two pillars in the background are Bootle landmarks, used for navigation.
label: Description
content: Artist George Stanfield Walters was born in 1839, the son of Samuel Walters (1811-1882). At age 15 he began painting in the rigging of ship portraits his father was working on. George Walters painted both oil and watercolors, during his career. He was active as a landscape and marine artist until his death in 1924.
label: Description
content: British marine painting authority A.S. Davidson questioned whether this painting was actually done by George Walters, and believes it might have been painted by James Harris. Harris was related to the children of Samuel Walters though marriage. Davidson believed that the painting was of a different style then most Liverpool paintings.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
topic: label: Subject
content: Maritime
setName: label: See more items in
content: Work and Industry: Maritime
label: See more items in
content: Cigna Maritime Collection
label: See more items in
content: Transportation
label: See more items in
content: Art
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of CIGNA Museum and Art Collection
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 2005.0279.042
label: accession number
content: 2005.0279
label: catalog number
content: 2005.0279.042
objectType: label: Object Name
content: painting
label: Object Name
content: painting, oil
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: oil on canvas (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: without frame: 24 1/2 in x 35 1/2 in; 62.23 cm x 90.17 cm
label: Measurements
content: with frame: 34 1/2 in x 45 1/2 in; 87.63 cm x 115.57 cm