A Marine Effect, 1838

This watercolor by William Henry Hunt has always been known by its original title, A Marine Effect, under which it was exhibited at the 1838 Spring Exhibition of the Society of Painters in Water-colours. At that time it was bought by Lady Rolle, who made a number of purchases of Hunt watercolors throughout the 1830s. All of these works remained intact, undoubtedly as they descended through the family of Lady Rolle, until they began to appear at auction in the early 1980s, 150 years later.

This work again shows Hunt's favorite model, John Swain, who is all dressed up and out with his mother on an excursion boat. The location, Margate, a coastal town outside of London, is indicated by the title of the book (The Margate Guide) on the deck of the ship below the boy's foot. The title is not only a pun, but provides the best clue to the subject matter - The "effect" on the boy from his boat trip is sea-sickness. In the 19th century artists were starting to use titles which included words such as "effect" and "impression" in connection with paintings which were less distinctly painted than what had more typically been found in earlier examples of western painting. James Abbott McNeill Whistler, in particular, was known for his "effect" and "nocturne" paintings, one of which resulted in protracted litigation between Whistler and John Ruskin, the famous 19th century British author, artist, and art critic. It is ironic that Hunt, who was championed as an exemplary artist by Ruskin in the 1850s, was, in "effect," mocking the type of title which would be used decades later by Ruskin's great adversary regarding the essential qualities of art itself.