[WILSON (Charles Hamilton).]
Taloo Harbour Island of Eimoo.
A lovely watercolour attributed to the English artist, naturalist, soldier, and spy, Charles Hamilton Smith (1776-1859). It appeared in Quaritch’s catalogue 504.
Smith studied at the Austrian Academy for Artillery and Engineers at Mechelen and Louvain and served as an engineer as part of the 60th regiment on Jamaica from 1797-1807. “From a very early age, Smith had industriously sketched and accumulated data. His interests were wide, so that his sketchbooks included historical, zoological, archaeological, and topographical subjects. His interest in such topics persisted through his time as a soldier; after retirement they became all-absorbing” (ODNB).
This image was certainly influenced by the work of both John Webber, who painted the same subject, and James Cleveley (1747-86). There’s some resemblance to Cleveley’s 1789 aquatint, A View of Moorea. He painted other scenes in the Pacific survive, including images of Tahiti, the Admiralty Islands, and Timor.
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