CALLED TO THE RESCUE

Reference Number:- Sprake Number:- Godden Number:-
st 60 STG179a 3a
 

There are two versions of this silk picture: this one has the green sea:
Life boat with 10 oarsmen and 3 rescuers in a wild storm, going to a sinking boat
 
 
There are two versions of this silk picture: this one has the grey sea:
Life boat with 10 oarsmen and 3 rescuers in a wild storm, going to a sinking boat
the image of this silk was kindly donated by György Tóth, Hungary

Words:
Woven on silk:-
 

Printed at bottom of card-mount:-

WOVEN IN PURE SILK

Called to the Rescue.
 

Size:
card-mount:
12.4 cm deep by 19.0 cm wide

silk:
5.1 cm high by 15.2 cm wide

Comments:
by Austin Sprake:
A blue lifeboat is shown in a stormy sea going to the assistance of a sinking sailing ship. "Heroism at Sea" is sometimes omitted, and inconsistent varieties of colour exist in the crew's clothing. 

by Geoffrey Godden:
A lifeboat rescue scene, normally with the sub-title "Heroism at Sea" [see st56 on this site], forming a pair with "For Life or Death - Heroism on Land", the fire-engine scenes [displayed on this site as st228 and st232].
This "Called to the Rescue" scene was registered on 20th February 1880 and first occurs on label 11. It is normally found on card-mounts of type B - often B1. It is rare on later mounts, although the subject was included on labels issued into the twentieth century. Some mounts do not include the sub-title 'Heroism at Sea' [as the image above].
A few Stevengraphs of this subject are on cards with the following wording printed above the picture:

In Memoriam
of the eleven brave men of the Life-boat 'Eliza Adams' who nobly
sacrificed their lives while endeavouring to rescue the crew of the
Ocean Queen, off Wells, October 29th, 1880.

This special wording may have been added only to examples sold locally at Wells or other near-by seaside towns, and such inscribed specimens could well have been sold at a premium to raise funds for the dependents of the lost men. It is highly probable that they were sold only for a brief period - perhaps for no more than a year after the event - for they are very rarely found today, although the basic subject is amongst those most commonly found. 

Other comments:
Design registered 20th February 1880

 



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This page was created on 3 January 2011
additional image with green sea added 6 January 2018

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