Edward Duncan (1803-1882) British, Color Lithograph Based on Painting by T.G. Dutton (1820-1891). Depicts the clipper ship Shannon, which was built in 1868, on the high seas. "Engraved by E. Duncan" bottom right. "T.G. Dutton delt." bottom left. Title center bottom.
Overall: 26 1/2 X 21 1/2 in.
Sight: 25 X 20 in.
#3783 .
Edward Duncan was born in England in 1803. Duncan began his career as an engraver of shipping scenes and became well known for his renderings of maritime subjects. He sketched on the coasts of England, Scotland, the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man and particularly the Gower Peninsula in Wales. Duncan met his wife, Bertha, through a fellow maritime painter, William Huggins (1820-1884), whose pictures Duncan had engraved. He excelled in depicting rough, breezy seas in both watercolors and oils, and his etchings and engravings of other artists like Thomas Dutton were highly sought after for their fine detail. He first began to exhibit in 1830 and became a member of the New Society of Painters in Watercolors in 1834. In 1847 he resigned to become an Associate of the Society for Painters in Watercolors, becoming a full member in 1849. Duncan continued to compose maritime-based scenes until his death in 1882.
Thomas Goldsworthy Dutton was born in 1820 in London, and named after his father, an ironmonger. Early on he trained to be a draftsman, eventually becoming an etcher, which exposed him to numerous art styles. After marrying Martha Foster in 1843 they moved to a home in Lambeth, a London district directly adjacent to the Thames where he routinely watched various ships and smaller vessels pass. By the 1850s he had developed a reputation as being one of the finest lithographers of nautical scenes and ship portraits, practicing from premises in Fleet Street and exhibiting at the Suffolk Street Gallery from 1858 to 1879. Many of his works were done for the printing company Day & Haghe, and he specialized in naval vessels in the midst of battle, as well as clippers and yachts. His works are celebrated for their precision, technical accuracy, and artistic quality, and were highly sought after in his lifetime by shipbuilders, naval officers, and enthusiasts, serving as both artistic representations and historical records of the period’s naval architecture. His contributions have left a lasting legacy in maritime art, making him one of the most respected marine artists of the 19th Century, with the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich holding almost a complete collection of his published lithographs, a rarity among all artists and artforms. His original works, often watercolors and bright, striking oils, are usually signed “T.G. Dutton,” and fetch excellent prices at auctions for their captivating uses of lighting, movement, and composition. His influence was felt on both sides of the Atlantic, particularly in the Luminist and Hudson River Schools of painting, with many of his works in both the Royal Collection as well as the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. He passed away on March 12th, 1891 at his home in Lavender Gardens, leaving behind thousands of pieces.
