“Song of the Sea: Cutty Sark”

Who Painted this? Montague Dawson

Where is he from? England

When was this painted? 1964

What is this made of? Oil on canvas

Montague Dawson was a professional maritime artist who made a career of painting the great sailing ships of the 19th century. And what greater ship could there be than the Cutty Sark, the world’s only surviving extreme clipper. 

The ship began its famous career as a tea clipper, reaching the astonishing speed of over 17 knots and sailing a route from England to China and back in order to supply the British population’s never-ending thirst for tea.

The clipper’s name comes from a poem by Robert Burns entitled "Tam O’Shanter." Cutty sark is an old Scottish word for the short night dress worn by one of the characters in the poem, a beautiful witch named Nannie.

Although she no longer sails the open seas, the Cutty Sark has been carefully restored and is now a floating museum in Greenwich, England.

Although Montague Dawson had no formal art training, he perfected his drawing skills by working as a professional illustrator, which explains the attention to detail in his paintings. Look at the painting on the right entitled “Running Free – The Cutty Sark.” Notice how carefully the artist depicts the details of the ship flying full sail and gives the impression of speed by painting the water shooting out on either side of the bow as the ship cuts through the waves.

Fun Facts:

Clipper ships are marked by three design characteristics: a long narrow hull, a sharp bow that cuts through the waves and three masts. This made the ship fast and light to quickly bring tea from China to England.

The Cutty Sark’s overall length is 280 feet. The height of the main mast is 152 feet. The Appleton Museum of Art is 30 feet tall.