Montague Dawson: Milford's Renowned Sea & Ship Artist

A renowned New York art gallery, Rehs Galleries Inc., considered one of the world's leading dealers of 19th and early 20th-century European paintings, have acquired Montague Dawson's Red Jacket on Open Seas.

Montague Dawson, F.R.S.A., R.S.M.A. (1895-1973) is considered the greatest painter of the sea and sailing ships in the first part of the 20th century.

Montague moved with his family from London to Milford on Sea in 1934. Originally they lived in an old house called Dawes Stream about a quarter of a mile inland. In 1937 the family moved again, this time to a brand new house on the seafront at 1 Hurst Road, Milford on Sea where he created a painting studio in the back garden. This was to remain the artist's home for the rest of his life and today the white walls of the property display a commemorative plaque.

In 2017 it was reported that a collection of Montague Dawson oil paintings was for sold for around £3 million.

Montague Dawson
Red Jacket on Open Seas

More About Montague Dawson

The Rehs Galleries Inc. website has this interesting biography:

Montague Dawson, who today is considered by many in the art world to be the most important British marine artist of his time, showed artistic talent early in his life. By age fifteen, he was working for a commercial art studio in Bedford Row, London, but his career path was interrupted by the onset of World War I. He enlisted in the Navy, and his ability to draw, along with an intimate knowledge of ships, led his superiors to assign him the duty of visually recording the war at sea. Many of these drawings became illustrations in the weekly newspaper, The Sphere.

After the war, he continued his artistic path, and by 1926 he began a lifelong relationship with the British art dealers Frost & Reed. In the 1930s, as his reputation flourished, he moved from London to Milford on Sea, where he would remain for the rest of his life.

Dawson favoured images of historically important naval events and sailing ships, often capturing the latter on high seas in stiff breezes. The Red Jacket, one of the great nineteenth-century American clipper ships, was a vessel that continued to intrigue him throughout his career, and he created several paintings featuring the ship. She was built for speed and, to this day, is still one of only ten ships that could travel 400 nautical miles in a single day.

Red Jacket in Open Seas was originally purchased by Robert and Mildred Gilfillan, who lived in Nairobi. Robert was the only full-time American businessman in Kenya for much of the early 20th century, helping import American foods and liquors to the country. Robert died in 1968, while Mildred moved back to the United States. She settled in Massachusetts, with the painting remaining in her possession until she passed away in 1992, at which point it went to her niece.

Rehs Galleries Inc.

www.rehs.com

Some other works by Montague Dawson

Montague Dawson
Bowling Along

Montague Dawson
Night Mists

Montague Dawson
The Dawn Chase

Montague Dawson
The Flying Cloud

Montague Dawson
Rising Wind

Montague Dawson
HMS Sealion

Many more works by Montague Dawson can be seen by clicking here.