14 Nov 2012
14:00 GMT
London, New Bond Street
20th Century British and Irish Art
Back to auction 20025
20th Century British and Irish Art
Back to auction 20025
Helen Bradley (British, 1900-1979)
R101 Airship
signed with fly insignia (lower right); further signed, inscribed and dated '"Look Peter at the Beautiful Airship, it/is the famous R101 and will soon be on/ its way to India", Peter and I watched/it sail away towards Manchester, then/we went to the shops in Hollins Road/ and coming back Peter ran to tell/Joe Brienley (our milkman) about the/R101, "Joe Plum", he said, "did you see the/airship", and as Peter ran back to me/I said, "Peter why call Joe, Joe Plum/its not very nice", but Peter laughed and the/year was July 1930'/Helen Layfield Bradley 1972./R101 destroyed by fire over France 6 Oct 1930 and/all 48 lives were lost.' (on a label attached to the backboard)
oil on canvasboard
45.8 x 61 cm. (18 x 24 in.)
signed with fly insignia (lower right); further signed, inscribed and dated '"Look Peter at the Beautiful Airship, it/is the famous R101 and will soon be on/ its way to India", Peter and I watched/it sail away towards Manchester, then/we went to the shops in Hollins Road/ and coming back Peter ran to tell/Joe Brienley (our milkman) about the/R101, "Joe Plum", he said, "did you see the/airship", and as Peter ran back to me/I said, "Peter why call Joe, Joe Plum/its not very nice", but Peter laughed and the/year was July 1930'/Helen Layfield Bradley 1972./R101 destroyed by fire over France 6 Oct 1930 and/all 48 lives were lost.' (on a label attached to the backboard)
oil on canvasboard
45.8 x 61 cm. (18 x 24 in.)
Sold for
£37,250
inc. premium
Footnotes
- PROVENANCE:
The artist
Thence by family descent
Announced in 1925 but not completed until 1929 the R101 was to be the jewel in the crown of the Airship Development Committee's accomplishments. Measuring 777 ft in length, and weighing 257,395 lbs the vessel was built in order to transport 100 passengers and 42 Crew at a cruising speed 63 mph to the farthest reaches of the British Empire including India, Australia and Canada.
On its maiden foreign voyage on October 4th, 1930 complications rose after enduring issues with the ship's oil pressure system and severe weather conditions. The ship came down near Beauvais, France and 48 souls where tragically lost. The inquiry into the events cited a sudden and catastrophic failure as the only explanation marking an end of British attempts to create lighter-than-air aircraft.
Category: Fine Art / Modern British and Irish Art
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