Dear Briana,

Greetings and thank you for calling upon the experts at Mearto to evaluate this oil on canvas painting that you have inherited from your Grand-parents. Between the wrecked ships and the colors of the setting sun, this is such a dynamic and powerful scene.

I completely agree with your thoughts about this being a painting from the late 19th century. While the painter may have been from the East Coast of the US, the painting illustrates a scene from the White Cliffs of Dover in the United Kingdom. Unfortunately, the painter has not made it onto the secondary market before and so his/her biographical history has currently been lost to time. Is it possible that this could be a relation and the 'e' was dropped from the name at some point?

My feeling is that this painting recorded an actual moment in time and that the flag of the ships related to the specific ship in the center of the painting.

That said, even though we don't have a biography or sales records of the artist, in cases such as yours, it is appropriate to compare this image to other late 19th century, oil on canvas paintings depicting perilous moments along the White Cliffs of Dover. It's actually been a pretty popular subject and multiple examples abound in the market, signed and unsigned. If this piece were offered in the appropriate auction venue, I'd expect it to sell for between $350 and $450USD. If we could find out more about the artist or the ship this estimate would likely be raised.

If you have any follow-up questions, don't hesitate to let me know.

Sincerely,

Erin-Marie Wallace MA, AU