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Oil on canvas, 76.5 x 114.5 cm
'Queen Mary' must be one of the most famous ships ever built and is celebrated for her service as a transatlantic passenger liner. This painting captures her in a less familiar role as a troopship during World War Two when she made an invaluable contribution to the Allied war effort.
Wilkinson shows the vessel in her wartime colours in port profile at anchor in the Clyde with steam up. In the right foreground is a Clyde steamer in bow port view, her decks crowded with troops. Other shipping includes an aircraft carrier in the far right distance, other naval vessels to the left and a couple of launches.
RMS 'Queen Mary' was built for the Cunard Line in 1934 by John Brown & Co. of Clydebank for the passenger service to New York. She was laid up in New York at the outbreak of war but in 1940 sailed to Sydney and began trooping between Australia and Suez. When the United States entered the war, she brought American troops to Europe docking in the Clyde. She was seriously damaged in a collision in the Clyde in October 1942. During her war career she carried nearly 800,000 military and other personnel.
One of the most important marine artists of the twentieth century, Wilkinson is best known for his shipping and railway posters. He was also commissioned by many shipping companies to produce portraits of their ships. He served in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve during the First World War and was responsible for suggesting the use of dazzle painting as camouflage.