Pair of Montague Dawson Watercolours of the Cashmere and the Hotspur, Both American Vessels- Painted c.1960

A Pair of Montague Dawson Watercolours of the Cashmere and the Hotspur, both American Vessels, Painted c.1960 The watercolours of exquisite quality and typical Dawson style, depicting the vessels in great detail upon the open sea with little in the way of background to detract from the depictions of the ships themselves. Both of these are painted in oil as well as in watercolour and, due to the Cashmere oil being featured in the Illustrated London News in the Christmas edition in 1960, we can date our piece accordingly. The Cashmere and Hotspur Cashmere was built by James O. Cutris in Medford, Massachusetts and registered in Boston on the 1st of July 1869. The Cashmere was lost in a typhoon off of the coast of Japan on the 11th of September 1885. There were some losses of life but most of the crew survived and were cared for by the Japanese people. As such, the American Senate approved a resolution to ‘extend to the inhabitants of the island of Tanegashima, Japan, a suitable recognition of their kind and humane treatment of the survivors of the crew of the American barque Cashmere, lost off that coast in the year 1885, and to convey to the Government and people of Japan an expression of the high appreciation in which the Government and people of the United States hold such humane services’. $5000 was set aside for this purpose and was given, as cash, to the people of the island as well as a medal recording their selfless acts. Our watercolour, therefore, is a reflection of this golden age of relations between America and Japan and an insight into this positive and uplifting rescue story. Hotspur was the very first ship to be produced by the New England Ship Building Company at their yard in Bath, Maine, and she was launched upon completion on the 27th of August 1885. Her registered weight was 1,210 tons. She was 191 feet in total length and had 39 foot beam. Her full sail plan spread roughly 7000 square yards of canvas sails, and this was said to be the largest of any vessel of her size at the time that she was built. Intended as a bulk cargo ship, her maiden voyage was from Boston to Melbourne, returning via the Philippines laden with sugar. Unfortunately her promising career was cut short as she struck a coral reef on her second voyage in 1887 and sank on the 25th of July of that year. Montague Dawson Please see earlier piece, ‘Trawlermen sorting the catch’ for more on the artist