Object Image

Christmas Morning, 1866

Christmas Morning depicts the sinking of the British steamship SS London. Despite the painting’s title, this tragedy occurred in the Bay of Biscay on 11 January 1866. The ship was travelling from Gravesend, Kent, to Melbourne, Australia. She began taking in water after leaving Plymouth Harbour on 10 January. With a total of 239 people on board, only 16 crew members and 3 passengers were able to escape the sinking ship by lifeboat. The survivors were men but all the women and children perished. The spectacular sunrise featured in the painted was witnessed by John Brett off the Isle of Anglesey in north Wales on 25 December 1865. The rough sea was painted the following summer.

Brett started as...

1868
Oil on Canvas
151.0 x 241.5cm
BORGM 00358
Image and text © Russell-Cotes Art Gallery and Museum, 2021

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