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Oil on hardboard, 68 x 97cm
This composition is typical of Hoodless, with a strong foreground prominently featuring dock furniture and various ropes and equipment. It shows a Blue Funnel Liner tied up against the quay in the Alfred Dock, Birkenhead, waiting for the tide, presumably prior to departure. The vessel, which may be Philoctetes, is portrayed in a bow view to the left and there is a Rea Company tug in starboard profile in the centre of the canvas. Another Rea tug is in the distance and the funnel of a T and J Harrison tug (identifiable by its black, red and white funnel) can also be seen behind the dock wall.
The vantage point is from the central island of the gates leading into the Wallasey Dock. The Liverpool waterfront, with the famous Pier Head buildings and the Mersey tunnel ventilation tower, is in the background.