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Mary where are you?

John Sheppard having seen my recent painting “Schooner Race“, wrote to me on the My Maritime Page asking : “Great stuff! Are there any drawings for the Mary?”
Schooners Off Falmouth, Cornwall
‘Schooner Race’, commissioned by a gentleman in Florida with a family connection.
There may be drawings of the ‘Mary of Truro‘. I had a dossier on her when I first painted this scene in 1989 … now wertizit… ?
 

I do recall well though, the description of her and of course she appears in detail on my 1989 painting “A Dispute Settled” which the family, good friends of mine, approved and won’t part with the original.
Rhoda Mary & Katie Cluett
“A Dispute Settled”
 
A Dispute Settled” is available as a fine art, signed, numbered print on canvas from my web site from £167.00 inc P&P..
 
Thus we know this is pretty much how Mary of Truro must have appeared.
Mary, of Truro
Mary of Truro

 

I was told by the gentleman who commissioned “A Dispute Settled“, both the Ferris brothers were very interested in fast sailing ships.
They were know to take measurements off fast ships including American and French visitors.
Rhoda Mary‘ and ‘Katie Cluett‘ were considered to be their best master pieces.
 
Mary of Truro‘ I was told was also said to be a fine, fast sea worthy vessel although her life was modest and hard work.
She may also be in one of Basil Lubbock’s or other books.
The photographic archive of Osborne of Falmouth may have shots of her.
Certainly it is a rich archive where among other things I did find shots of Cutty Sark.
Photographs taken before, during and after Captain Dowman’s restoration of Cutty Sark.
The problem is, who has time to follow this up?
[This Gordon Frickers, art signature is on all my more recent paintings]