A Large Sailor's Woolwork of a Thames Barge,
circa 1885-1900
Most sailors' woolworks or woolies as they are known depict Royal Navy ships or sometimes they depict a merchant marine vessel. Rarely are other types of ships depicted. In this large striking sailor's wool picture, a new addition to my inventory, a Thames barge is depicted under full sail on an unusual zig-zag green sea. The dimensions are large-25 inches x 35 1/2 inches.
A noticeable feature of the ship are her red sails which were typical of these vessels. To make a sail more efficient and to prolong its life they are dressed with a mixture of oil (traditionally fish oil), seawater (&/or horse urine if available!) and red ochre. The red ochre is purely a colouring agent, without which the sails would look a dirty grey colour. Sail dressing often had "secret" ingredients.
A large banner reading "Harry & Nellie" plays a strong visual role in the image. Unfortunately, there is no vessels registered with that name. Thus I feel it is a form of love token probably the name of the captain and his wife.
A large Sailor's Woolwork or Woolie depicting a Thames barge with its distinct red sails off the coast.
The following information is from Wikipedia.
A Thames sailing barge was a type of commercial sailing boat common on the River Thames in London in the 19th century. The flat-bottomed barges were perfectly adapted to the Thames Estuary, with its shallow waters and narrow rivers.
The barges also traded much further afield, to the north of England, the South Coast and even to continental European ports. Cargoes varied enormously: bricks, mud, hay, rubbish, sand, coal and grain, for example. Due to the efficiency of a Thames barge's gear, a crew of only two sufficed for most voyages, although by today's standards it would have been hard physical work at times.
The vast majority of barges were wooden hulled (although a significant number were also built in steel), between 80 and 90 feet (25 to 30 m) long with a beam of around 20 feet (6 m). The hull form was as distinctive as their rig, being flat-bottomed with a degree of flair to the sides and plumb ends. The stern was a transom, shaped like a section through a champagne glass, on which was hung a large rudder. The hull was mainly a hold with two small living areas in the bow and stern, and access was through two large hatchways, the smaller before the main mast and a much larger aperture behind.
They were usually spritsail rigged on two masts. Most had a topsail above the huge mainsail and a large foresail. The mizzen was a much smaller mast on which was set a single sail whose main purpose was to aid steering when tacking. The rig also allowed a relatively large sail area on the upper part of the mast, to catch wind when moored ships, buildings or trees blocked wind on the water's surface. Sail areas varied from 3000 to 5000 square feet (300 to 500 m²) depending on the size of the barge. The typical, attractive rusty-red colour of the flax sails was due to the dressing used to waterproof them (traditionally made from red ochre, cod oil, and seawater). No auxiliary power was used originally but many barges were fitted with engines in the later years.
In good conditions, sailing barges could attain speeds over 12 knots, and their leeboards allowed them to be highly effective windward performers. The unusual sprits'l rig allowed any combination of sails to be set: even the topsail on its own could be effective in some conditions.
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