Exhilarating marine art: Pilot boats of yesteryear in action
Click on the above image for a larger view.
1. Dropping the yawl 2. Auxiliary motor pilot boat Trenton 3. Pilot boarding steamship at night 4 and 6. Identifying a ship at night 5. Steam pilot boat New York 7. All in the day’s work 8. Pilots returning from station duty (from PILOT LORE: From Steam to Sail)
The pilot boats of the past relied on sail or steam power and were significantly slower than their modern-day counterparts. But they were known for their agility, which was a testament to the skill of those who navigated them. They also had a certain charm. The pilot cutters and schooners, in particular, exuded beauty and elegance as they cut their way through the waters of the harbour or the open sea. Seeing these pilot boats in old works of art is a virtual feast for the eyes.
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Pilot boat leaves the harbour in Den Helder (Netherlands), 1837–1840
Carel Christiaan Antony Last (Dutch, 1808–1876), after Petrus Johannes Schotel (Dutch, 1808–1865)
Courtesy of Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
‘The Duke’, Pilot Schooner No. 3
Samuel Walters (English, 1811–1882)
Photo credit: Merseyside Maritime Museum
Licence: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC).
Courtesy of Art UK
The steam ship New York taking her pilot boat New York, 1898
Antonio Jacobsen (American, 1850–1921)
Courtesy of Christie’s
Virginia Pilot Boat, c. 1839
George Heriot (Scottish-Canadian, 1759–1839)
Courtesy of Royal Museums Greenwich / Wikimedia Commons
Pilot boat
Nils Elias Anckers (Swedish, 1858–1921)
Courtesy of Sjöhistoriska museet, Stockholm
Wonderful art for pilots to display or wear
(Click on each image for the product details)
‘Irlam’, Pilot Sloop No. 6
Samuel Walters (English, 1811–1882)
Photo credit: Merseyside Maritime Museum
Licence: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC)
Courtesy of Art UK
The Isle of Wight pilot boat hailing an outward bound ship, 1887
Charles de Lacy (British, 1856–1929)
Courtesy of Bonhams auction house / Wikimedia Commons
The steam ship New York taking her pilot boat New York, 1898
Antonio Jacobsen (American, 1850–1921)
Courtesy of Christie’s
Pilot cutter No. 3 with a rowing boat coming alongside and a paddle steamer in the distance, 1858
Henry King Taylor (British, 1799–1869)
Courtesy of Bonhams auction house / Wikimedia Commons
Ångare, lotskutter (Steamer, pilot cutter), no date
Ludvig Richarde (Swedish, 1863–1929)
Courtesy of Sjöhistoriska museet, Stockholm
The pilot boat New Jersey escorting an English passenger liner out of New York Harbour, 1906
Antonio Nicolo Gasparo Jacobsen (American, 1850–1921)
Courtesy of Christie’s
~ Barista Uno
