This original watercolor was produced as an illustration in one of the British reprints of the novel Mr. Midshipman Easy. Originally published in 1836, the book was a popular adventure novel written by Royal Naval officer Captain Frederick Marryat. The book is semi-autobiographical, based on Marryat's experience serving as a midshipman at age 14 under Lord Thomas Cochrane aboard HMS IMPEREIEUSE. Marryat went on to have a distinguished Naval career serving in both the Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812 and eventually commanding a series of ships himself before retiring to write full time in 1830.
Mr. Midshipman Easy is Marryat's best regarded and most popular work. A classic tale of adventure on the high seas it details life serving aboard a Royal Navy ship including travel, battles, capture, and romance. The author was well regarded in his lifetime and both Joseph Conrad and Earnest Hemingway considered themselves fans of his work.
This is a very good illustration with a nice composition and great facial expressions. The colors remain bright and the notations legible. Midshipman Easy looks down on four captured sailors with a thoughtful expression. All other eyes are on Mr. Easy including those of Easy's friend and fellow sailor Mesty, who stands nearby holding a ready sword in case the captured men attempt escape.
The painting has several markings in the margins with the longer notation on the bottom edge- "Midshipman Easy, Page 173 - "Oh Mr. Easy, Please Forgive Us".
This book was a staple of young adult literature for more than 100 years, and like so many other classics it was reprinted many times by many different publishers with different artists contributing engravings, paintings or drawings to the different versions. Though this piece bears an artist's initials lower left, we have been unable to find the full name of the artist and the date of publication. Given the text on the margins it was likely a British edition.
Mr. Midshipman Easy was also adapted for the screen twice- as a silent film in 1915 and a sound film in 1935. Though it's no longer common on reading lists, the exploits of Mr. Easy delighted generations of would-be sailors and left behind a classic illustration in the great tradition of British watercolor illustration.
