Edouard ADAM Father (1847-1929) WELLEDA motoring... Lot 10

Edouard ADAM Father (1847-1929) WELLEDA motoring under reduced sail Oil on canvas signed and dated 1885 lower right 86.5 x 146 cm Framed 106 cm x 167 cm. Restoration. Note 1: WELLEDA, one of the three largest and most luxurious yachts of the period, was owned by Henri MEUNIER, the chocolate industrialist and prominent member of the Yacht Club de France. The painting was most probably commissioned by Henri Meunier himself. Note 2: WELLEDA was built in 1881 in Newcastle, and was originally called Cumbria. In 1883 she was renamed Nubienne, before being bought out in 1884 and renamed Welleda by Henri Meunier in 1885. She was powered by a coal-fired steam engine, rigged as a three-masted barque, and had a hull with a fore and aft poop deck. A number of innovations were tested on board, including the very first electric searchlights, soon to be used by the French navy. Among the improvements tested on board were steering machines, electric fans, refrigerating machines and cold rooms for storing supplies. Luxury and ultimate comfort characterize WELLEDA. She sailed the Mediterranean, the Adriatic, the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea. Other notable destinations included the North Pole. During this expedition, Henri Meunier took 600 photographs, which earned him a silver medal at the 1889 Universal Exhibition. He subsequently sailed the waters of Scotland, the Shetlands, Greenland and Iceland. In 1899, Henri Meunier sold Welleda to Duke Decazes. She was still sailing off Greece in 1914.