Joseph Gee of Cottingham House, in the county of York
The descendant of a family of local gentry, Joseph Gee was Hull's dominant ship owner in sail and steam during the period c. 1830-1860. Many of his vessels were depicted by local marine artists, notably John Ward of Hull's (1798-1849) The Return of the 'William Lee' (Ferens Collection). Gee was born into a family with substantial holdings of land in the East Riding and lived at Cottingham House, Yorkshire. His birth date is unknown. He died aged 58 at Lowestoft, while on business, in 1860. Gee had a series of cutter (racing) yachts including the renowned 'Corsair', built in 1825. In this portrait he wears yachting garb, and is posed with a cutter yacht in the background. He also founded the Hull Mariners' Church and Sailor's Orphanage Society (later the Hull Seaman's and General Orphan Society). The Hull Maritime Museum has a crude copy of this portrait that Gee presented to the Sailors' Orphanage. Thomas Ellerby was a London-based portrait and genre painter. He exhibited in London at the Royal Academy and the British Institution. His subjects included official portraits and exotic themes like A Roman Woman Selling Flowers. He was clearly highly regarded since many of his portraits were engraved. During the latter part of his career Ellerby undertook commissions for Yorkshire families together with a number of civic portraits.
