Born in England December 12, 1870, he first went to sea at 16, onboard the ship Astoria, with a cargo of coal bound for Shanghai. He suffered a fall and ended up hospitalized in China, where he took to his passion of painting ships. The downtime provided him the opportunity to earn a second mate's certificate, and he joined the Blue Anchor Line as a junior officer. He served for seven years, and spent years as a stage actor following this.

Through it all, he painted. His art earned him a position illustrating the covers of The Blue Peter which in turn carried his name to the corners of the earth as a highly accomplished marine artist. Absolutely confident in not only his ability but hi...