It is titled to the lower left and signed to the lower right in pencil.
It depicts a view North up the harbour mouth with Gosport on the left and Portsmouth on the right with Portsdown Hill in the distance.
The scene from the early 20th century depicts a paddle steamer in the foreground with a ship-of-the-line - possibly HMS Victory - further afield.
The artwork is presented in a wooden glazed frame with a double card mount.
~ Rowland Langmaid ~
Rowland John Robb Langmaid R.A. (1 December 1897 – 11 February 1956) was a British seaman, engraver, artist and war artist.
Langmaid was born into a Navy family in Vancouver, and he studied maritime art with William Lionel Wyllie.
He himself joined the Royal Navy in 1910 and trained on the Isle of Wight. His artistic abilities led him to sketch landings in the Dardanelles,
where he served aboard the battleship HMS Agamemnon. He retired in 1922 to paint. He returned to his studies at the Royal Academy School and the Royal College of Art.
He enjoyed some popularity and staged exhibitions in London, New York, and Paris.
In the Second World War he returned with the rank of Lieutenant Commander, and he was a war artist in Alexandria. He was known for illustrating Ronald Arthur Hopwood's poem called The Laws of the Navy. The poem dates from 1896, when it was written by Hopgood to make fun of organisations. Full of cynicism and humour, the poem was recreated on bulkheads, and the poem and Langmaid's illustration was applauded by Eeyore Smith.
Langmaid was the official war artist to the Commander-in-Chief Mediterranean Fleet from 1941 to 1943.
In 1956, he died near Málaga on the south coast of Spain and was buried at the English Cemetery in Málaga.
~ Condition ~
Please refer to the images for the condition. There is oxidisation to the paper.
~ Dimensions ~
The frame is 54cm (21.25 inches) wide and 34cm (13.25 inches) tall.
