Philippa Iles
Senior Sale Coordinator
Lot 69
William Clark of Greenock(British, 1803-1883)'God speed!' - Having cast off her tow, the crowded emigrant ship Mairi Bhan heads past Ailsa Craig outward bound for New Zealand on her maiden voyage in May 1874
30 April 2025, 14:00 BST
London, KnightsbridgeSold for £38,400 inc. premium
Looking for a similar item?
Our Marine Pictures & Works of Art specialists can help you find a similar item at an auction or via a private sale.
Find your local specialistAsk about this lot
Polly Cornthwaite
Senior Cataloguer
Rhyanon Demery
Head of Sale
William Clark of Greenock (British, 1803-1883)
'God speed!' - Having cast off her tow, the crowded emigrant ship Mairi Bhan heads past Ailsa Craig outward bound for New Zealand on her maiden voyage in May 1874
signed and dated 'WM Clark 1874' (lower left)
oil on canvas
78.5 x 128.9cm (30 7/8 x 50 3/4in).
signed and dated 'WM Clark 1874' (lower left)
oil on canvas
78.5 x 128.9cm (30 7/8 x 50 3/4in).
Footnotes
Provenance
With The Art Centre, Greenock.
Private collection, UK (purchased from the above on 11 December 1979).
Thence by descent to the current owner.
Due to the large numbers of emigrants, the passenger trade to New Zealand was very profitable for shipping companies in the 1870s, one of which was Patrick Henderson & Co. of Glasgow. In 1874, a fine new full-rigged ship was added to the company's fleet bearing the Gaelic name Mairi Bhan [Bonny Mary] and she proved an instant success. A handsome iron clipper of 1,315 tons, she was built on the Clyde by Barclay, Curle and, leaving the 'Tail of the Bank' in the Clyde on the evening of 7th May 1874, she cast off the Clyde Shipping Co.'s tug off Ailsa Craig (as was usual practice) and set a course south on her maiden voyage the following day. After a fast run out of 75 days under the command of Captain Massen, she disembarked her 394 emigrants safely at Port Chalmers which marked the start of her successful career as a passenger ship.