The Emigrant Ship. Outbound. Oil on Canvas 30x15 inches. These lofty heavily sparred Clipper ships were at a premium with the discovery of gold in California in 1848 and Australia in 1850/51. With voyage times from 4 to 6 months life on board was the same for any small village with births and deaths being recorded in the Master’s log. Steerage passengers did not enjoy the best of conditions with the limited space allotted to each family but these were tough people willing to face the challenge of the unknown with only their own self-reliance and confidence to rely on. Most would be arriving in an alien environment with only what they could carry to sustain them and yet from these people grew the fine State of California and the respected country of Australia.
