Catching a Mermaid

Catching a Mermaid by James Clarke Hook RA, 1819-1907. 1883. Oil on canvas. ©The National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London. In this well-known painting, Hook shows a boy hauling in a figurehead from a rough sea, while a girl, probably his sister, holds back a smaller boy who is probably his younger brother. The family group and the whimsical title offset what seems to be tragic proof of a maritime disaster. — Jacqueline Banerjee

Bibliography

Barringer, Tim. "Hook, James Clarke (1819-1907)." Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Online ed. Web. 24 May 2012.

The Fine Art Society Story. Part I. London: The Fine Art Society, 2001. Catalogue number 80.

McMaster, Juliet. "James Clarke Hook: A Biography." James Clarke Hook (1819-1907). Web. 24 May 2012 (an excellent resource for Hook).

Sandby, William. The History of the Royal Academy of Arts from Its Foundation in 1760 to the Present Day. London, Longm,an. 1862. Google Books. Web. 24 May 2012.


Last modified 24 May 2012