Exiles and Emigrants
Education Resource

The Journey

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Marshall Claxton
The lifeboat 1862

This painting reveals the high drama, fear and perils facing the emigrants. The very real potential for disastrous shipwrecks was the inspiration for many paintings. The life boat, riding massive waves behind the sinking boat intensifies the sense of danger, drowning and death.

• Compare the emotions of the different women in this painting.
• Predict the reasons for shipwrecks during the 19th century.

Marshall Claxton
England 1813–1881
lived in Australia 1850–54
The lifeboat 1862
oil on canvas
180.3 x 135.9 cm
Rossendale Museum, Lancashire
Lancashire County Museum Service