“Launch Day” by Robert Olley. South Shields Museum, England

“An overcast sky and fine drizzle greet the chosen dignitaries who will witness the launching ceremony of a new ship. As they arrive the brass band fires up with a jaunty selection of sea shanties. The band master glares at us, looking for some appreciation of the band’s effort.

“Some of the cloth-capped shipyard workers in the foreground give us a furtive look, there seems to be an atmosphere of unrest! Maybe a strike is brewing, few pay much attention to the pending ceremony or the arrival of the distinguished guests.

“A lone photographer tries to line up a group shot of the VIPs. The woman to his left glares with more than a little envy at the shipyard owner’s wife, with an expensive fox stole draped over her shoulders, which also holds the attention of the little terrier. The bowler-hatted yard owner carries the champagne bottle draped with red, white and blue ribbons, which will be smashed against the hull of his latest ship, sending it down the slipway to be fitted out before beginning its life sailing the oceans of the world.

“His wife seems very reluctant to grasp the hand of the elderly veteran worker who, because of his long service and loyalty to the company, has been given the honour of presenting the bouquet of flowers.

He stands in a pool of water, rain drops bouncing off his bald head, anticipating the lady’s gloved hand, while the bored chauffeur looks on, taking time out for a smoke.

“The Chief Inspector suspiciously looks at one of the other guests while the vicar stands on an oil drum, presumably to be nearer to his boss, pleading for better weather.

“At the rear of the group a lady receives a poke in the eye by the careless handling of an umbrella, while a young lady discovers a deposit on the sole of her expensive shoe. A gift from the little terrier?

“In the background the skeletal framework of cranes merge with the rows of terraced houses that almost become part of the shipyard, occupied by the employees and their families.”

Robert Olley

Object description
Type: Easel painting
Location: South Shields Museum & Art Gallery, Tyne & Wear
Material: Oil on board
Artist: Robert Olley (b. 1940)
Date: 2022

Image details
Date: 15 June 2022
Camera body: iPhone Xs
Lens: Wide Camera 26mm ƒ/1.8
Focal Length: 26mm
Aperture: ƒ/1.8
Shutter Speed: 1/33s
ISO: 320
Licence: Image of a North East Museums asset. This image cannot be licensed.