Historical information

This painting is one of a pair of large works by W. Langley-Taylor in our collection. Further information about the artist has not yet been identified. The pair depicts coastal sites on either side of Port Phillip Bay, south of Melbourne. This work represents Eagle Rock, Warrnambool, on the bay’s western side.

Eagle Rock lies about 400 metres west of Thunder Point, near Shelly Beach. The painting shows the cliff formations looking east towards the Warrnambool Breakwater. The site is well known locally, appears in many photographs, and is also a recognised dive location in calm conditions.
This stretch of Warrnambool coastline is exposed to the Southern Ocean. In the painting, the breaking waves and northerly drift of smoke from the steamship suggest a strong southerly wind.

THE INSCRIPTIONS “Mrs M Irby” and “980/Regency”:-

The significance of the inscription “Mrs M Irby”, which appears on the reverse of both paintings, has not been determined. It may refer to the ship or shipping company Irby. Irby was a four-masted iron ship built in Liverpool in 1881. It later traded between London and Australia, including visits to Melbourne and Hobart, before being destroyed by a mine in 1919 while en route to England.

Alternatively, “Mrs M Irby” and the pencil inscription “980/Regency” may refer to a delivery address, perhaps an apartment or hotel.

Significance

This painting is geographically significant for its depiction of Victoria’s coastal scenery.
It is also significant as one of a pair of seascapes depicting sites on either side of Port Phillip Bay.
Historically, the painting is significant as an example of the late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century methods and materials used in frame construction.

Physical description

Painting oil on board in a dark wooden frame, portrait orientation. Seascape of rock formation and cliffs, two yachts, a two-masted steamboat with red funnel and smoke, flying birds, high waves breaking onto rocks, blue sky with clouds, some tinted pink.
The title is painted on the lower left corner, and the artist, W. Langley-Taylor, has signed his name on the lower right. The inscription on the back is handwritten script in red crayon or thick red pencil.
The board is held in place inside the timber frame with small, dark metal tacks around all sides. Metal eyes join the wire to the frame. Small, round, dark metal nail heads are dispersed around the frame, and there is a change of colour on both the board and the wood of the frame.

Inscriptions & markings

Painted on front “W.LANGLEY-TAYLOR.” and “EAGLE ROCK, WARRNAMBOOL, VIC.”
Handwritten on back “Mrs. M. Irby” and “980 [underlined] Regency”