Montague Dawson

Sale: Christie's, New York, 1 March 1990, lot 267

The clipper ship Blue Jacket was launched on August 27, 1854 by Robert E. Jackson from his Boston shipyard. She was named for her distinctive figurehead—a sailor in a blue jacket (Blue Jacket was slang for sailors in the American and British navies)—and noted for her lavishly decorated cabin interiors. Her first voyage to Liverpool was a quick 12 days, after which she was put into service between England and Australia. Dawson captures her here in her glory, on the high seas.