Collections Insight: A new display in North Hall

Napoleon on the Bellerophon in Plymouth Sound, August 1815

Jules Girardet (1856–1938)
Oil on canvas, around 1890

This much-loved painting shows Napoleon Bonaparte (1769–1821) imprisoned in Plymouth Sound in 1815 before being exiled to the remote South Atlantic island of Saint Helena. Thousands of people rowed out to catch a glimpse of France’s fallen emperor as he appeared on the deck each evening.

Girardet was a history painter who specialised in scenes of the French Revolution. He created this scene nearly 75 years after the event. At the time it would have been the place to see and be seen. Girardet shows the men, women and children wearing the fashionable clothes of the day in great detail.

In Memoriam — Twilit Waters

Jack Pickup (1909–1979)
Oil on hardboard, 1951

Pickup taught art at Devonport High School for Boys and later Plymouth School of Art and was a leading member of the Plymouth Society of Artists. He took much inspiration from the city and its surroundings.

In 1951, the tragic loss of Brixham-based fishing trawler, Twilit Waters, shook the region. The entire crew of nine were lost, including four crewmen from Plymouth. In this painting Pickup, who had studio in the heart of Plymouth's Barbican area, was moved to try and convey the sadness so many people felt.

A May Morning

Elsie Higgins (1871–1953)
Oil on canvas, 1903

This painting was acquired by the former City Museum and Art Gallery in its earliest days (1905) and is the subject of a new novel by author Alison Jean Lester. She wrote to us in 2023 asking to view it. Since then she has generously shared new information about both the artist - who was her great-great aunt - and the subject, Lester's life-long partner, Edith Gorham.

Higgins and Gorham met at art school in Hertfordshire. Here, we very likely see Edith who was born Deaf holding flowers near her face. Edith's brother Charles, who was also born Deaf, helped to establish the British Deaf Association in 1890.

March Sky, Cape Cornwall

Karl Weschke (1925-2005)
Oil on canvas, 1962

Born in Germany, Weschke led an extraordinary life, many years of which were spent living in Cornwall. He came to Britain as a prisoner of war in 1945 and began to paint and sculpt as part of his rehabilitation.

Weschke moved to Cornwall in 1955, eventually settling in a small house overlooking the sea on Cape Cornwall outside St Just. This large dramatic work is a wonderful example of the expressive brushstrokes and earthy colour palette he favoured.

You can see all four paintings on display throughout the spring and summer. Opening hours are 10am-5pm Tuesday-Sunday and Bank Holiday Mondays. Entry is free.