An Emigrant Ship Art Print

Hayes strays from his usual depictions of stormy seas in this scene that is at once mundane and resonant. As evening falls on Dublin Bay, emigrants are ferried out in small boats to a tall ship sitting at anchor in deep water. Bunched together and undemonstrative, they seem strangely compliant. Hayes's painting coincides with a protracted exodus to Britain, the United States and the Antipodes, as rural Ireland hemorrhaged its population in the decades after the Great Famine of the 1840's. The setting sun can be seen as a symbol for the lamentable end of these passengers' lives in Ireland, but its warm glow promises fair weather and perhaps kinder fortunes in the future. Hayes was not a social commentator, and makes no attempt here to communicate the conditions that have forced people to leave. The picture's poignancy relies on the knowledge its audience brings to it.

National Gallery of Ireland Art Prints are the perfect way to have your own masterpiece. Printed on high quality 240gsm Satin paper using Epson Ultrachrome Archival inks, each print have a stated light fastness and image permanence of up to, at least 75 years. In order to preserve the image and prevent unnecessary fading, the print should not be exposed to direct sunlight and its UV rays.

All prints have the title and artist's name printed at the bottom of each reproduction.

Dimensions: 50 x 70 cm (including white border)

Original Painting Information

Edwin Hayes, British, 1819-1904

An Emigrant Ship, Dublin Bay, Sunset, 1853

Oil on canvas, 58 x 86 cm

Presented, Miss Mary S. Kilgour, 1951

NGI.1209