The clipper 'Ellen Rodger'

A portrait of the clipper ‘Ellen Rodger’, shown starboard-broadside-on in light winds with all sail set to the royals, including her starboard studding sails on fore and main masts. The ship was owned by Scottish sea captain Alexander Rodger (1801- 77) who made money speculating on the Australian gold rush of the early 1840s. On his return he was convinced that fast clippers had great advantages in the China tea trade and by 1855 was part owner of the ‘Kate Carnie’ the first clipper ship built by Robert Steele & Co. of Greenock. Their next ship was the ‘Ellen Rodger’, a full-rigged wooden ship of 585 tons, built in 1858. She was employed in the China tea trade, sailing regularly to Foochow and Shanghai.

In this portrait flags are curiously absent which may imply some later conservation work which has painted them out. There is a topsail schooner to the right and other shipping can be seen in the distance. On 20 September 1866 the 'Ellen Rodger' was wrecked on the Belvidere Reef, Gaspar Strait, on a voyage to London and her hull was sold for £700.

It is not certain who the ship was named after, since while Captain Rodger married a Margaret Hodge in 1828 and had a daughter whose name is elsewhere recorded as Helen (also reported as the name of his sister), the spelling for the ship was undoubtedly 'Ellen'. He also owned the clippers 'Min' (named after the River Min, China) the 'Lahloo' and most famously the 'Taeping' : these too were all wrecked. The 'Kate Carnie' was also later lost on a voyage to Montevideo, but after Rodger had sold her.

The present painting is signed and dated in red, lower left, ‘G.R. Barr 1858’.