William Lionel Wyllie: The Most Distinguished Marine Artist of the Late 19th and Early 20th Centuries

William Lionel Wyllie (1851–1931) was a renowned English marine artist, famous for his dramatic depictions of ships, naval battles, and seascapes in both oils and watercolors. Trained at the Royal Academy Schools, Wyllie became a leading figure in British marine painting, influenced by the works of J.M.W. Turner and Clarkson Stanfield.

His art focused on the grandeur of the sea, the intricacies of ships, and the changing moods of maritime life, often showcasing historical naval battles and the evolution of warships. His notable works include detailed portrayals of British naval history, cementing his legacy in the genre of marine art.

Below are some of beautiful paintings by William Lionel Wyllie.

A Ship Receiving a Pilot through Busy Thames Waters, 1869

Dawn after a Storm, 1869

Landing Fish, Ambleteuse, 1873

Last Light, 1877

Bound up through the Bridges, circa 1880s

Old Hulks, Portsmouth, circa 1880

Barges Working their Way up the Estuary at Twilight, Heading for London Docks, 1882

Ebb Tide, Dordrecht, 1882

French Fishing Boats at Low Tide, 1882

Toil, Glitter, Grime and Wealth on a Flowing Tide, circa 1883

Storm and Sunshine - A Battle with the Elements, 1885

A portrait of the White Star liner, RMS Teutonic, leaving Liverpool, July 1889

Scene on the Lower Thames, 1889

The Opening of Tower Bridge, 1894

The Union (later Union-Castle) Line's Steamer Norman Leaving the Quayside at Southampton on her Maiden Voyage, 1894

The Opening of Tower Bridge, 1895

Watercolor of HMS Calypso, 1897

Battle of the Nile, 1899

Medway Barge Race, 1899

The Battle of Trafalgar, 21 October 1805, 1905

Dreadnought and Victory, the Future and the Past, at their Moorings in Portsmouth, 1907

The Portsmouth Fishing Fleet - The Breeze Falls Light, 1907

Looking Across the Busy Thames to the Tower of London, 1908

The Thames at Greenwich, 1908

Mouth of the Harbor, 1910

The Burning of the Old Semaphore Tower, Portsmouth, December 20, 1913

Loss of HMS 'Pathfinder', September 5, 1914

The Track of Lusitania. View of Casualties and Survivors in the Water and in Lifeboats, May 7, 1915

Aerial View of the Western Front, 1916

A Destroyer under Fire, 1917