A hive of activity on the Thames at Gravesend

George Chambers, born in Whitby in 1803, was one of the most celebrated marine artists of the early nineteenth century. His works in both oil and watercolour encompass all the major marine genres. He was largely self-taught, becoming an artist after his small stature meant that he was unable to forge a career in seafaring. In his early career, like his contemporaries Clarkson Stanfield and David Roberts, he worked as a scene painter before turning to fine art. The effortless atmosphere of his pictures, arising from his close observation from nature, draws the viewer into the scene. His naturalistic depiction of the elements, of ships in varying degrees of sail, and transparency and fluidity of water is unfaltering.