Heslam Trust
A colourful and relaxed depiction of how commercial life on the Brayford once was. Perhaps slightly idealised with images of fishermen and swans.
The detailed rigging in the fishing boats and their straight masts draw the eye right up to the Cathedral, which is gently absorbed, into the sky.
The church tower to the right of the scene is St Peter-at-Arches, which was demolished in 1933 and moved to the St Giles estate. The church in the centre below the Cathedral is St Michael’s on the Mount, and St Martin’s, left of centre was demolished in 1876. Newland chapel is on the left.
After a period at sea and an apprenticeship to a shipbuilder, Carmichael became a pupil of the elder TM Richardson. From 1838 to 1862 he sent oil paintings and watercolours for exhibition at the Royal Academy and in 1845 moved to London, later settled in Scarborough. Chiefly known as a marine painter, he is a clean workman and the freedom which he sometimes attains in his finished work is based on careful observation and drawing.
