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Who is the artist, Jan Sanders?
One ship I sailed in had the picture framed and hung beside the bar. If my memory serves me the series was commissioned by a Dutch marine paint manufacturer. Over my many years at sea I think I sailed with a representative of every character who is so skillfully portrayed in the picture. I sailed with a second mate, a real lothario, who could give himself a perfect haircut using two mirrors, who is just one of the characters so accurately pictured.
Copies of the series are still available at some specialist marine bookshops.
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The artist was Rogier Mekel. He was a Dutch radio operator. Passed away in 1970.
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This one is of the Dutch artist Jan Sanders. He was famous for his annual calendar made for the Dutch marine paint manufacturer Sigma Coatings.
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You could tell that he was a radio man by the break link forward in the transmitting antenna. Ships used to have that safety precaution till far after WWII. It was developed during the war because if a ship was torpedoed the masts moved breaking the antenna, now the weak link broke first and hopefully not the antenna wire.
On cargo ships the main antenna was cumbersome, especially when on a coastal trip and the antenna had to be hoisted and lowered all the time. On deck they were often mangled.
Later ships carried the 14 meter high Dieckmann und Klapper MAS 140 vertical cage antenna with top loading rod, problem solved.
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that drawing needs to be about 3 ft. by 4 ft. , one of those that took a long time to make and probably more to ‘‘see’’!
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Wonderful Sigma Paint adverts.
Posted on many vessels.
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In all your drawings is a dog; in some I have to zoom-in to find one.
They do always what all dogs do in real live:
Sitting in front of a crowd and looking at the photographer.
Looking strait forward and thinking about the future of the world.
If they don’t understand, they yawn or scratch themselves.
If it is really too hard, they lie down and dream of meatballs.
Thanks for these nice drawings.
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My favourite is the old man and the chief engineer sitting on a sofa on New Years Eve on a tranquil tropical night with the crew creeping up behind them ready to bring the. New year in with a bang.
I’ve not been able to find a copy.