Philippe Jacques de Loutherbourg (1740-1812)
Ink and watercolour
‘Margate Jetty, The arrival of the Hoy’
This watercolour is one of six original works by Philip James de Loutherbourg showing facets of daily life in Margate and the nearby resorts of Ramsgate, Brighton, and Worthing, reproduced in aquatint by J. C. Stadler and published in 1801 as a portfolio entitled Picturesque Scenery of Great Britain. Easily mistakable for a Rowlandson this work reflects the early days of ‘a trip to the seaside’.
In the 18th and 19th century centuries, English hoys plied a trade between London and the North Kent coast that enabled middle class Londoners to escape the city for the seaside air of Margate and along the coast to Southhampton. These were known as Margate or Southampton hoys and one could hail them from the shore to pick up goods and passengers. The introduction of the early steamers greatly expanded this trade and the hoys fell out of use.
Estimate: £1,000-1,500 March Sale.
