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Notes
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Yacht racing began in an organised fashion on the Thames in the mid-eighteenth century. The Duke of Cumberland founded the Cumberland Fleet for Thames racing in 1775. This was the ancestor of the Royal Thames Yacht Club and used a version of the white ensign without the large cross of St George. This painting is therefore an early depiction of this activity for the leisured. The Thames has been portrayed in a rural context with a country estate in the distance to the left. Green fields sweep down to the riverbank, and there are figures in horse-drawn carriages watching the race. On the river, one yacht has been placed in the foreground, with two crew on board and a gentleman in the stern, wearing a cream-coloured top hat. Such yachts usually flew the burgee flag of the club, together with the personal flag of the owner.
Title
Yachts of the Cumberland Society Racing on the Thames, c.1815
Date
1815
Medium
oil on canvas
Measurements
H 30.5 x W 69.8 cm
Accession number
BHC1196
Work type
Painting
National Maritime Museum
Romney Road, Greenwich, London, Greater London SE10 9NF England
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