James Witham

James Witham (British, active mid-late 19th century)

Portrait of the S.S. Brunswick, 1870, Oil on canvas, 24 x 37 in.

A finely rendered ship portrait depicting the S.S. Brunswick, a transitional steam-and-sail vessel built by Laird Brothers, Birkenhead, in 1870 for the Maranham Steamship Company of Liverpool. Witham, a maritime artist of the Liverpool school, captures the vessel in full profile under sail and steam against a turbulent green sea and a dramatic clouded sky. The work demonstrates Witham’s characteristic precision in rigging, hull detailing, and wave structure, making it a strong example of 19th-century British marine painting.

Details

• Original oil painting on canvas

• Signed by the artist

• Large-format composition

• Rich surface texture and visible brushwork

• Ready to hang