Historic Docking the RMS Mauretania at Sandon Half Tide Dock, Liverpool in 1907

Eddie Baker (1940–2025) – Oil on Canvas

🎨 Subject & Medium

A large-scale historic marine masterpiece, this oil on canvas (laid on board) portrays the legendary RMS Mauretania docking at Liverpool’s Sandon Half Tide Dock in 1907. Assisted by the tugboats Egerton and Wellington, Baker captures both the drama and precision of maneuvering an 800-foot liner into the narrow dock system. Painted circa 2000, the work evokes both Edwardian grandeur and the gritty labor of the Mersey’s tug fleet.

🖌️ Composition & Technique

Eddie Baker demonstrates his celebrated balance of technical accuracy and atmospheric drama:

• Color: Vibrant contrasts—red-and-black funnels glow against a pastel-toned sky; the immense dark hull reflects on shifting green-blue waters.

• Brushwork: Confident sweeps define the liner’s bulk, while lively detailing conveys rigging, smoke, and reflections.

• Style: Realist precision infused with narrative storytelling; the coordinated dance of tug and liner feels immediate and alive.

• Composition: The Mauretania, slightly off-center, dominates the scene, her power counterbalanced by the purposeful tugboats in the foreground.

The result is both historical record and theatrical maritime tableau.

🚢 Vessels Depicted

RMS Mauretania (1907) – Cunard Line

• Builder: Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson, Newcastle upon Tyne

• Engines: Charles Parsons’ steam turbines—record-breaking innovation

• Fame: Holder of the Blue Riband for 22 years (fastest Atlantic crossing)

• Wartime Service: Troopship and hospital ship during WWI, known as “HMS Mauretania”

• Legacy: Retired in 1934, remembered as one of Cunard’s most iconic liners

Tug Egerton – Liverpool & Glasgow Salvage Association

• Positioned at the bow; a stalwart coal-burning tug, emblematic of Liverpool’s hardworking fleet.

Tug Wellington – Liverpool Dock Service

• At the stern; compact yet immensely powerful, she exemplifies the indispensable role of tugs in docking leviathans like the Mauretania.

👨🎨 About the Artist – Eddie Baker (1940–2025)

Trained in Watford, Baker began his career in printing before turning to maritime art. Inspired by Frank Mason, he earned acclaim for historically faithful and atmospherically rich depictions of naval and aviation subjects. His works are represented in UK collections including:

• Pembroke Dock Heritage Centre

• South Wales Aviation Museum

• Robertsbridge Aviation Society

Following his passing in 2025, his wife Dianna—supported by Neil Davies—donated much of his oeuvre to public institutions, securing his legacy as one of Britain’s foremost 20th-century maritime painters.

🖼️ Frame & Dimensions

Presented in a finely moulded giltwood frame with linen slip.

• Framed size: 99 × 73 × 4 cm

• Protected with glass, ready to hang.

📜 Provenance

• Inscribed verso: “Mauretania (of 1907) by Ed. Baker”

• With Liverpool address of Dennis Green, 199 Deysbrook Lane, West Derby

• Likely commissioned or acquired in Liverpool

• Exhibited at the Famous Lord Hill Museum

• Auctioned and curated by Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD

❤️ Collector Appeal

✅ Rare, large-scale depiction of Cunard’s legendary RMS Mauretania
✅ Captures the golden age of steamship travel in cinematic detail
✅ Signed work by Eddie Baker, celebrated for historical accuracy
✅ Rich Liverpool provenance & museum exhibition history
✅ Nearly 1 meter wide – a gallery-scale statement piece
✅ Maritime artwork of investment quality and enduring appeal

🔎 Condition

Good overall with strong colours and stable surface. Minor foxing to sky area. Gilt frame retains integrity with light age-related wear and chips. Protected with glass cover.

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