Colophon Books

Description

A 23 x 28 cm (9. 2 x 11.2 inches) Sepia photograph with the Beken & Son Cowes name in white bottom right and the title "Ailsa" Racing at Cowes and a plate number 9154 on the left. The image is stuck down at corners onto a brown soft paper and both then tipped onto cardboard, some glue marks to corners but the image itself is very clear. This appears to be a rare image with no copies located on the Beken & Sons site, or with any other seller online?
The history as we could glean of this YACHT is this: By 1900 Ailsa was owned by Mr. Jameson of Dublin. Ailsa’s previous owner, Andrew Barclay Walker (born 1865), a noted polar explorer, was one of the six sons of Sir Andrew Barclay Walker a wealthy brewer, twice Mayor of Liverpool and builder of the Walker Art Gallery. The original 1895 plate would have been most likely 12 x 10 inches as this is larger we suspect this was a later example, but we are unsure and as to date we hazard a date of c1911-1940 although the crew look to be in late Victorian dress code outfits. We also think this was a "J" Class yacht and it was raced against "Britannia" in 1895. The name was also used for the model " Ailsa Pond yachts" in the early 20th century