James Heard: The British Barque “Mary Ann Johnson”

The British Barque “Mary Ann Johnson” off Liverpool harbor, with the steam vessel “Rambler” escorting her out of the harbor, by Joseph Heard (1799-1859). Unsigned, strong attribution to the artist. Oil on canvas, size 26-1/4” x 36”. In a period frame (34-1/2” x 43” x 4-1/2”.

Joseph Heard: Born in Whitehaven, England, on March 7, 1799, he died in Liverpool on November 7,1859. With Samuel Walters, he must stand as the top ranking Liverpool ship portraitist of the 19th century. He first practiced in his native Whitehaven and moved to Liverpool in 1834. Though he is often confused with his contemporary Liverpool artists, Walters and MacFarlane, he has a couple  of distinguishing idiosyncrasies, a little curved bow wave and a steamer usually in the background. He was also a painter of human figures. The National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, has seven ship portraits, the Merseyside County Museum four, and the Peabody Museum three …. (excerpted from E. H. H. Archibald’s Dictionary of Sea Painters …)