Montague Dawson (British, 1890-1973) The clipper ship Young America cracking along under full sail signed 'MONTAGUE DAWSON' (lower left) and inscribed ''YOUNG AMERICA'/2300 Tons built in 1853' (on canvas overleaf) oil on canvas 61 x 91.5cm (24 x 36in). Footnotes: Provenance With MacConnal Mason & Sons, Ltd., London. Anon. sale, Phillips, London, 14 March 1983, lot 90. Anon. sale, Sotheby's, London, 3 June 1987, lot 255. Property of a Palm Beach Estate. Anon. sale, Christie's, New York, 12 October 2011, lot 105. Private collection, Montana, and thence by descent. The extreme clipper Young America was christened with the seemingly perfect name, being one of those ships employed to open up the Pacific coast of the United States in the wake of the California Gold Rush of 1849. The last vessel to be designed and built by the great William Webb of New York, she was widely considered to be his crowning achievement when she was launched in 1853. Constructed from the finest materials available, at a massive cost of $140,000, she was registered at 1,961 tons and measured 243 feet in length with a 43 foot beam. Indeed, her lines were so admired by all who saw her that it was said she 'was not excelled by anything afloat.' Owned initially by the prominent New York merchant George B. Daniels, her size and speed ensured she commanded the highest freight rates and she never lacked cargo throughout her long career. Even in an era when many clippers and their captains were household names, she remained a favourite amongst shippers and over the course of twenty return passages from New York to San Francisco she averaged 118 days out and 98 back, both being well below the norm for the time. In 1872-73 she established the record of 82 days from the Golden Gate to New York, the fastest time ever recorded by a cargo-carrying sailing ship on that run. She also established a westbound record passage of 99 days from San Francisco to Liverpool, her other frequent destination, and as the years passed, she could be found in many ports across the Pacific with a wide variety of cargo. Sold out of American registry to Austrian owners in 1883, she was renamed Miroslav and adopted the Croatian port of Bakar as her homeport. Despite this, she continued in the trans-Atlantic trade until 1886 when, after leaving Delaware on 17th February, she disappeared without trace and was never heard of again. This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: * AR * VAT on imported items at a preferential rate of 5% on Hammer Price and the prevailing rate on Buyer's Premium. AR Goods subject to Artists Resale Right Additional Premium. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com For further information about this lot please visit the lot listing