**R.M.S. TITANIC** CONTEMPORARY OIL PORTRAIT OF OFFICER

This is one of the most exciting paintings I have ever had the privilege to offer. It is an early 20th Century portrait of a civilian maritime officer. Nothing remarkable about that you may think. But... this is a painting of an officer of the most famous - indeed infamous ship owned by the White Star Line of Boston Packets, otherwise known as the Oceanic Steam Navigation Company - arguably the most famous civilian ship in human history - the R.M.S. Titanic. This is a wonderful portrait of John ("Jack") G Phillips, the senior Marconi Wireless Operator on board the ill-fated ship. Although the painting is not signed, we know from a rather faded and very fragile letter folded up and preserved between stretcher and canvas the subject, the artist, the place of the portrait and the date.

The details of the painting read as follows:

Portrait of John G Phillips

Senior Operator of the Marconi
Wireless Telegraph on the ill fated
RMS Titanic painted by
Patrick Conor Belfast March 1912
Uncle Jack worked as wireless
operator on the Lusitania, Mauretania,
Oceania, Adriatic (?) before becoming
Senior Wireless Operator on the
Titanic where he died 10 years ago.

The envelope is dated 23rd May 1922 - so 10 years almost to the day after the sailing of the Titanic. This is a fascinating and hugely important "Titanic" historical document. The provenance given verso indicates that this portrait dates from immediately prior to the maiden voyage of the Titanic, and was presumably commissioned by Phillips himself - or perhaps his family - and who could blame them for their pride seeing their lad as Senior Wireless Operator on the Titanic - the unsinkable ship? It was painted in Belfast in March 1912 where Pillips was stationed immediately before joining the Titanic. Although I can find no listing for the artist "Patrick Conor" - presumably he was local - and clearly very talented. Whether this unform was Phillips's Titanic uniform or from his previous voyage (or indeed an artistic interpretation?) I am not entirely sure.

John George "Jack" Phillips was born in Farncombe, Surrey, England to George Alfred Phillips and Anne Sanders. Phillips finished private school in Godalming in 1902 and began working at the Godalming post office where he learned telegraphy. He started training to work in wireless for the Marconi Company in March 1906 in Seaforth and graduated five months later in August. Phillips' first assignment was on the White Star Line ship Teutonic and he later worked on board the Campania, the Corsican, the Victorian, the Pretorian, the Lusitania and the Mauretania. In May 1908 he was assigned to the Marconi station outside Clifden, Ireland, where he worked until 1911, when he was assigned to the Adriatic and later, in early 1912, to the Oceanic.

In March 1912 Phillips was sent to Belfast, Ireland, to be the senior wireless operator on board the RMS Titanic for its maiden voyage. He was joined by junior wireless operator Harold Bride. The Titanic sailed for New York City from Southampton, England, on 10 April 1912 and during the voyage Phillips and Bride sent out passengers' personal messages and received iceberg warnings and other navigational information from other ships. Phillips celebrated his 25th birthday on the day after the voyage began.

On the evening of 14 April, in the wireless room on the boat deck, Phillips was sending messages to Cape Race, Newfoundland, working to clear a backlog of passengers' personal messages that had accumulated when the wireless had broken down the day before. Bride was asleep in the adjoining cabin, intending to relieve Phillips at midnight, two hours early. Shortly after 9:30 pm, Phillips received an ice warning from the steamship Mesaba reporting a large number of icebergs and an ice field directly in the path of Titanic. Phillips acknowledged the Mesaba's warning and continued to transmit messages to Cape Race. The Mesaba's wireless operator waited for Phillips to report that he had given the report to the bridge, but Phillips continued working Cape Race. The message was one of the most important warnings Titanic received, but for reasons no one is sure about, it was never delivered to the bridge.

After 11:00 pm, Phillips was again interrupted by another ship, this time the SS Californian. The Californian's only wireless operator, Cyril Evans, was reporting that they were stopped and surrounded by ice. The Californian was very close and the signal was strong and loud in Phillips' ears. Phillips quickly sent back, "Shut up, shut up, I am busy working Cape Race!" and continued communicating with Cape Race while Evans listened a while longer before going to bed for the night. This communication was to have important consequences. Firstly, Evans gave a warning of ice, which if heeded could have prevented Titanic's sinking. Secondly, Californian was the closest ship to Titanic. As the radio had been switched off by Evans, Phillips had no way of communicating to Californian should Titanic require immediate assistance, which it was very soon to need.

The Titanic struck an iceberg at 11:40 pm that night and began sinking. Bride had woken up and began getting ready to relieve Phillips when Captain Edward Smith came into the wireless room and told Phillips to prepare to send out a distress signal. Shortly after midnight, Captain Smith came in again and told them to send out the call for assistance and gave them Titanic's estimated position. Phillips began sending out the distress signal, code CQD, while Bride took messages to Captain Smith about which ships were coming to Titanic's assistance. At one point Bride jokingly reminded Phillips that the new call was SOS and said "Send S.O.S., it's the new call, and it may be your last chance to send it." A myth developed after the disaster that this was the first time SOS was used, but it had been used on other ships previously.

After taking a quick break, Phillips returned to the wireless room, reporting to Bride that the forward part of the ship was flooded and that they should put on more clothes and lifebelts. Bride began to get ready while Phillips went back to work on the wireless machine. The wireless power was almost completely out shortly after 2:00 am when Captain Smith arrived and told the men that they had done their duty and that they were relieved. Bride later remembered being moved by the way Phillips continued working. While their backs were turned, a crew member (either a stoker or trimmer) sneaked in and attempted to steal Phillips' lifebelt. Bride saw and grabbed the man as Phillips stood up and knocked the crew member out. The water was beginning to flood the boat deck as they both ran out of the wireless room, leaving the unconcious crewman where he fell. The men then split up, Bride heading forward and Phillips heading aft.

Phillips managed to make it to the overturned lifeboat B, the same lifeboat that Bride was on, but he died before rescue came. However, because of inconsistencies in witnesses' statements and Bride's testimony that he never saw Phillips on the boat, but was only told he was aboard by someone else, some Titanic historians dispute the claim that Phillips was on the lifeboat. After the disaster and Harold Bride's description of what happened that night was published, Phillips was considered a hero for his efforts in contacting other ships to come to Titanic's assistance, largely forgetting his negligence and hostile behavior toward the wireless operators of other ships that were trying to help Titanic out of the iceberg fields.

It is an excellent size - the canvas itself measuring 72 x 52cm. The frame is little more than a slip - and I guess is probably original to the painting. Condition is overall not bad. There is one puncture which you can easily see lower left - although there is no loss of canvas, and minimal loss of paint. There are also 2 other small holes - each well less than a centimetre. All of these would easily patch. The painting is quite aged and yellowed - but I think will clean nicely. There is a gentle bulge at the bottom of the canvas where the detailed provenance has lain for nigh on 90 years. This could easily be straightened out if replaced on its stretcher - but it is part of the history of the painting. It is accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity from a Member of the Board of Certified Appraisers in the USA.

A fantastic oil painting which has great significance for the history of the ill-fated Titanic. It is not something I know a great deal about - and I have not come across a specialised "Titanic" auction in the UK. I would love to keep it until 2012 and the Titanic's centenary. I guess by then the credit crunch will be a memory too! The credit crunch is sadly a reality now - so here it is - against my better judgement. Offered without reserve, and postage to the US is FREE.

 Terms and conditions - please read. I am an art enthusiast but it is not my profession. For reasons of clarity therefore, I follow standard auction descriptions as used by auction houses all over the world as follows:

"The artist name" In my opinion a work by the artist.

"Attributed to..." In my opinion probably a work by the artist.

"Studio of..." In my opinion, a work executed in the artists studio, under his supervision.

"Circle of..." In my opinion a work of the period of the artist and showing his influence.

"Follower of..." In my opinion a work executed in the artists style but not necessarily a pupil.

"Manner of..." In my opinion a work executed in the artist's style but of a later date.

"After..." In my opinion a copy of a work by the artist from a later date.

"Signed" In my opinion the work has been signed / dated / inscribed by the artist.

"Bears Signature / date /inscription" In my opinion the signature / date / inscription is by a hand other than the artist.