JAMES CLARKE HOOK (BRITISH, 1819-1907)

James Clarke Hook was born in London and trained at the Royal Academy before furthering his studies in Italy, Paris and Switzerland under a travelling studentship.  The navy was a defining aspect of British identity in the mid-19th century and Hook explored this relationship with the sea, with numerous coastal subjects, but also its effect on domestic life.  The Ship Boy's letter is a superb example of this, the narrative rendered with meticulous detail, down to the legible envelope addressed to 'William Dibble'.  Work stops in the small-holding as the mother reads the letter, prompting a distant look from the father as he imagines where and what his son is experiencing.  Learning the ways of a ship took years meaning children often went to sea in their pre-teen years, in this case, leaving his two younger siblings at home.  

Condition report

The canvas appears to have been relined.  A few lines of craquelure and the canvas is slightly loose on the stretcher which has a backing panel.  Otherwise good, overall condition with no sign of retouching under ultraviolet.