Edward William Cooke

Edward William Cooke was a Victorian marine painter who got the details of boats right. His pictures show fishing vessels hauled up on beaches, heavy seas and working harbours, with rigging, hulls and cargo drawn with the accuracy of someone who studied ships closely.

He was born in London in 1811, the son of the engraver George Cooke, and learned from marine painters such as Clarkson Stanfield. From 1837 he made repeated trips to the Netherlands and fell for the Dutch coast and the Dutch Old Masters, which explains the many scenes of Scheveningen and Egmond in his work. He also painted in Venice, Spain and North Africa. He became a full member of the Royal Academy in 1864 and a Fellow of the Royal Society.

Dutch Pincks Unloading their Catch off Egmond aan Zee is typical. Look at the grey-green water, the wet sand and the tiny figures working around the boats.