Footnotes

• “Ophir” was a handsome twin-screw steamer built for the Orient Line’s prestigious Australian service in 1891 and her luxurious accommodation, coupled with her general suitability for voyaging in tropical waters, made her a logical choice for the Royal Tour of 1901. The tour was to be undertaken by the Duke and Duchess of York (later King George V and Queen Mary) and, in the absence of a sufficiently large royal yacht, the Admiralty decided to charter a liner for royal duties. “Ophir”, 6,800 tons and 465 feet long, needed little alteration and the necessary work was carried out at Tilbury. Splendidly repainted in her new white livery, she left Portsmouth on 16th March 1901 for the first-ever Royal Tour in the modern sense. Every continent in the Empire was visited except India and by the end of the seven month voyage, she had steamed 45,000 miles. The main purpose of the call at Sydney was so that the Duke of York could, in his father’s name [King Edward VII], open Australia’s first Federal Parliament, marking the Country's Dominion status. The view depicts the Royal vessel off Lady Macquarie's chair, still a popular spot in Sydney harbour. Returning to commercial sailings the following year, her royal connection made “Ophir” even more popular with the travelling public although her running costs were so high that she was frequently laid up during the low season. Serving as an armed merchant cruiser during the Great War, she was paid off for the last time in 1919 and broken up in 1922.
  
  De Martino had been appointed Marine Painter in Ordinary to Queen Victoria and offical Marine painter to the Royal Yacht Squadron in 1894 and henceforth accompanied the Royal Family on many nautical occasions.

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Category: Fine Art / Marine Art

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