Homeward Bound

Homeward Bound, by Walter May, exhibition of the Institute of Painters in Water Colours, 1872. A '...water-colour drawing which we engrave on the occasion of the artist's election as a member of the Institute of Painters in Water Colours...Mr. May has the advantage, we believe, of having had a practical acquaintance with the sea and ships as a marine officer, before devoting himself to their representation..."Homeward Bound" will tell its own tale to all. Whether it be the simple fisherman returning to the shore with his harvest of the sea, after the long watches of the silent night, and after, it may be, dire risks of storm and tempest, or whether it be the pleasure-seeker, after short absence, traversing a tranquil sea to a safe harbour; whether it be the toil-worn mariner who, after surviving the perils of the ocean in all climes, is threatened with shipwreck even in sight of port, or whether it be the return, after many years, of the exile to his native country, conquered at last by the yearnings of home-sickness - in each and every case the first sight of the cliffs or sands, a coast-town or village, of Old England can scarcely fail to convey a thrill of delight to which few sensations are comparable'. From "Illustrated London News", 1872. Creator: Unknown. (Photo by The Print Collector/Heritage Images via Getty Images)