Joseph Mallord William Turner
English, 1775­1851
Fishing Boats with Hucksters Bargaining for Fish
1837/38
Oil on canvas
174.5 x 224.9 cm
Mr. and Mrs. W. W. Kimball Collection, 1922.4472

The artist Turner made many paintings of ships battered or broken by rough waves, as well as lively scenes like this of fishing boats. He was often at sea and once, in a terrible storm, was tied to the ship’s mast for four hours to keep from being swept overboard.

Here, a man in a rowboat is trying to buy the day’s catch from a fishing boat, while a storm threatens. Look for three other kinds of boats in this painting: an empty dory, a galleon (warship), and a steam ship off in the distance.