Diamonds and darts

[pophops]

Is there any symbolism in the designs painted on narrowboats? I'm thinking particularly of diamonds, hearts, darts and crescents etc.

Were they originally some sort of livery to identify carrier companies or purely folk art, like roses and castles?

[dave moore]

No, just working folk using these symbols to proclaim pride of ownership, in much the same way as a modern trucker may have his cab airbrushed with lunar landscapes or voluptuous nudes.

 

Cheers

 

Dave

[pophops]

No, just working folk using these symbols to proclaim pride of ownership, in much the same way as a modern trucker may have his cab airbrushed with lunar landscapes or voluptuous nudes.

 

Cheers

 

Dave

With regard to the voluptuous nudes, some of those darts look a bit risqué to me.

[mark99]

Is there any symbolism in the designs painted on narrowboats? I'm thinking particularly of diamonds, hearts, darts and crescents etc.

Were they originally some sort of livery to identify carrier companies or purely folk art, like roses and castles?

 

There is one line of though that partly they (the bow top plank design) derived from the ocular designs seen on some European fishing boats. Ref T Lewerys' excellent book Canal Boat Painters.

Edited September 2, 2014 by mark99

[Derek R.]

The practice of giving boats 'eyes' has been global. Quite often based upon ideas to appease the water spirits - or ward off 'demons'.

The Netherlanders also have geometric patterns painted onto some bulkheads of their fishing boats - Botters come to mind, as I have seen several in Enkhuisen with same, often with verses about the wind, the fish, or just a good luck motto.

 

 

Diamonds and 'darts' are easier to paint than many shapes, so not a great amount of skill required for the owner boater in adding some relief to a surface of cabin. Pictorial scenes and sign-writing demands greater skills - and many boatmen did acquire these.

 

 

 

From 'Ronde en Platbodem Jachten' by T. Huitema, Kampen & Zoon Amsterdam 1977.

 

[dave moore]

Hi all

 

I'd like to expand a little on my brief response last night. To anyone interested, Tony Lewery's two books " art of the Narrowboat Painters " and " Flowers Afloat " are the most comprehensive sources of the English canal painting tradition.

 

Around the Birmingham system, some carriers used a particular symbol do denote their boats as not all of the boaters were literate. For example, Yates Bros at Norton Canes had 3 diamonds painted on their boats, in yellow. Some can still be seen attached to brickwork there. Some modern Norton Canes boats have 3 diamonds in the red bow flash to carry the tradition on. I've done it by taping out 3 diamonds in the non slip on the gunwales on Resolute where there are doors.

 

Braunston painter Ron Hough once gave the opinion that some tried to read too much into the painting tradition. Symbols were certainly painted, though I don't think that they were symbolic in the sense of the word, rather designs that could be easily and quickly applied when the boat was docked and repainted, it's my understanding that there was always time pressure to get the job done, a boat in dock was earning nothing for the owner/boatman. Bear in mind too that the majority of dockyard painters were boatbuilders too, not specialist signwriters or artists. Many produced lovely works of folk art but without the sophistication of the trained artist, as the collection here at home shows vividly.

 

I still sometimes wonder at the fact that here I am, still applying decoration to canal boats long after carrying ceased to a totally changed customer base.

 

Cheers

 

Dave

[Ray T]

I believe the early boats belonging to Pickfords had a diamond on the cabin as an owners mark.

 

http://www.canaljunction.com/mainline/0508.htm

 

 

I have a book somewhere with an old black and white sketch showing a similar motif.

 

Also: http://www.pickfords.co.uk/the-canal-age#.VAZ76sWIA6Y

Edited September 3, 2014 by Ray T

[Derek R.]

I believe Cory owned lighters on the Thames also carried a horizontal diamond in outline. Apart from a name about the only decoration they carried - a simple ID mark. Their tugs may have carried same, most likely on the funnel.

Edited September 3, 2014 by Derek R.

[Laurence Hogg]

Adding to the info already stated the BCN are had many variations away from the "accepted" Rose & Castles work. Wall for instance had a brick wall painted on the cabin side of their Joey boats, T&S Elements had a single diamond in white on a red background then followed with complex multi coloured geometric designs on the fore end top strake. Other "visual" variations included carvings into th edge of the breast oak, Yates had two scallops with a vee in the middle, whilst Ernest Thomas just had a single scallop. Some companies carved their name or initials into the rudder stock too. Why the BCN was so different has always puzzled me, other areas of waterway had local types of boat but none showed the diversity of the BCN, take for instance the London wide boats, apart from the width decoration was as normal. Little is really tabulated in regard to BCN liveries, we for instance do not know or have any colour pictures of BCN company boats so even the BCN Co livery remains a mystery.

[Pluto]

There is information about a possible origin for the scroll in the book on L&LC boat painting 'Brightwork' which I wrote with Sam Yates, who was a boat builder and painter at Hodson's Whitebirk Dock, near Blackburn. His ideas about the origin of the scroll - developing from religious iconography - certainly are one answer to the question of where such designs came from. I still have copies of the book for sale.

[mark99]

The practice of giving boats 'eyes' has been global. Quite often based upon ideas to appease the water spirits - or ward off 'demons'.

The Netherlanders also have geometric patterns painted onto some bulkheads of their fishing boats - Botters come to mind, as I have seen several in Enkhuisen with same, often with verses about the wind, the fish, or just a good luck motto.

 

 

BBC did a programme about the Mekong yesterday - lots of boats with ocular motiff on the bows.

[bargemast]

 

The practice of giving boats 'eyes' has been global. Quite often based upon ideas to appease the water spirits - or ward off 'demons'.

The Netherlanders also have geometric patterns painted onto some bulkheads of their fishing boats - Botters come to mind, as I have seen several in Enkhuisen with same, often with verses about the wind, the fish, or just a good luck motto.

 

 

My granddad (mums father) was a fisherman from Enkhuizen in the days that it was still on the Zuiderzee, his sailing botter was a very plain ship no fancy paintings anywhere, as there was very little money made with the fishing, and the money was needed to maintain the boat, and feed the familly. There was only "With God's help" incarved in the main beam.

Peter.

[Derek R.]

Here's a couple for you Peter, taken by me on a trip to Holland in 1980. We came back with a handful of Dutch books on traditional craft.

 

 

 

 

 

[Laurence Hogg]

On the BCN three white diamonds were the mark of Yates Bros not yellow as previously stated, also Ernest Thomas the other joay boat king had a single large white diamond as his trademark on the red flash on the bow. Other companies like Wall used the image of bricks to ID their boats.

[bargemast]

T

Edited November 12, 2014 by bargemast

[bargemast]

Thank you very much Derek for these beautiful Botter photos. I used to regulary visit all the former fishing harbors around the IJselmeer, to look at and admire the historic sailingbarges, specially during their regular sailing races, which are great to watch for everyone that's interested in these beautiful memories of the past.

Peter.

Edited November 12, 2014 by bargemast

[Pluto]

You may like these, then:

 

[bargemast]

Yes Pluto, I like them very much and have fond memories of the early 70's when I participated occasionally as crewmember on a sailing Tjalk that belonged to a friend who was a regular competitor in these races.

Peter.