The American Clipper “Highflyer” at Whampoa Anchorage, by eminent British artist Leslie A. Wilcox, RI, RSMA (1903-1982). Titled, signed, and dated on the reverse. Oil on canvas, 30” x 40’, framed size 36-1/2” x 52”. Price: $12,500.
Built in Newburyport, MA, in 1852 by Currier & Townsend and owned by the Red Cross Packet Line, the 1,110-ton “Highflyer” went missing in 1855 after departing San Francisco for Hong Kong. It was thought that she was captured and destroyed by pirates off Formosa.
Whampoa Anchorage was the old English name for the anchorage situated in the Whampoa Roads that was an intermediate way station between Macau and the city of Canton, now known as Guangzhou. Images of the anchorage are common in 18th-century western art. Ships from European trading companies used the anchorage for their trade in Canton during the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. The traders rented storage for ships supplies and repair shops on Whampoa Island.
