Marrin's Bookshop

Item Description

Pen and sepia ink wash drawing on paper, 4.5 x 7.25 inches, laid on to card, mounted, framed in reeded half-round gilt and glazed, overall 10.5 x 13 inches. It depicts a flag-bedecked paddle steamer approaching Folkestone Harbour, a two masted sailing vessel having just entered the harbour between the newly extended South Quay (with its signal station on the Horn) and the breakwater. In the foreground is a smaller two master and in the distance another paddle steamer. It seems very likely that the three wagons, with their carters shown emerging from the water had been engaged in dredging the accumulated silt as another drawing by Moses specifically shows this activity. This sketch is dated 6 August 1844, a year after the inauguration of the first crossings between Boulogne and Folkestone on 1st August 1843. Some light browning follows the principal pen strokes without detracting from the execution. Henry Moses (1781-1870) was highly regarded as a draughtsman and engraver and was known for, among many other works, several series of views of shipping, and a few coastal views. It is not clear how his marine interest developed but he used outline engraving to great effect in capturing maritime life and activities in his Sketches of Shipping (1824), where accurately drawn ships are set in suitable port landscapes. Similarly his Picturesque Views of Ramsgate (1817) includes busily populated images of ships in harbour. This drawing is beautifully executed and highly detailed - the wash achieving great depth - and reflects the crispness and clarity of his engravings. This is one of a number of similar drawings of the Folkestone area by Moses purchased by us