Tom Campbell (1865 - 1943)
Tom Campbell painted views of the west coast and islands, using a sharp, highly coloured style. He was a most prolific painter, Mainly in watercolour or gouache, whose subjects included landscapes with sheep; children playing on sandy beaches; and marine scenes such as the one in the Anderson Trust Collection. He sold many of his works through the Glasgow department store Daly’s.
"Steam Yacht, Rhu Pier" is a view which conjures up a by-gone era of affluence. To anyone familiar with the topographical features of the Gareloch nowadays, the artist's view is not immediately recognisable. He appears to have used a fair amount of artistic license to arrive at an interesting pictorial composition. Quite apart from that, however, this coastline has been developed in modern times to accommodate the Rhu Yacht Marina. The old stone pier at Rhu, the end of which appears in this painting, was closed in 1920 and eventually incorporated into the structure of the Marina.
The steam yacht in the Campbell painting has been identified as "The Nahlin" by some authorities in the Scottish art world. This was the steam yacht owned by Lady Yuill. On-board guests, on some occasions, had included Wallis Simpson, accompanied by Edward, Duke of Windsor. It was on this vessel that their liaison first caught the attention of the news media.
Neil Macleod understands there is an original photograph of "The Nahlin" in Helensburgh Library. The yacht, which appears on the left of this particular print is remarkably similar in appearance to the one in the Campbell painting. A cautionary note should, however, be sounded regarding that particular attribution, because several people, who lived in the locality at the time when this yacht was around, recalled "The Nahlin" as a larger vessel than that depicted in the artist's painting. It would be more romantic to believe that the un-named yacht in Tom Campbell's painting was indeed "The Nahlin", with a measure of artistic license making such an attribution more than an outside probability.
(from biographical notes by Neil MacLeod)
Work in Anderson Trust Collection
“Steam yacht, Rhu Pier” (watercolour)
