S.S. Jerseymoor

Edward Alexander Wadsworth

1918 · Woodcut · Drawings and Prints

After he returned from the Mediterranean, Wadsworth became involved in the "dazzle ships" project. Dazzle camouflage was developed in 1917 by Norman Wilkinson, a British academic marine artist and Royal Navy lieutenant commander, to counter torpedo attacks by German U-boats, which had sunk numerous Allied warships and passenger ships (including approximately 925 British ships in a period of just nine months, averaging twenty-three ships a week). The dazzle system involved multicolored optical patterns applied to warships to disorient the German submarines that patrolled British waters. Wadsworth did not create the designs but was one of ten lieutenants who supervised their application to over two thousand vessels, dubbed "dazzle ships." The bold patterns, which recalled Wadsworth’s earlier Vorticist work, can be seen in these woodcuts inspired by the artist’s experiences.

Artist

Edward Alexander Wadsworth

Date

1918

Medium

Woodcut

Department

Drawings and Prints

Credit line

Purchase, Leslie and Johanna Garfield Gift, Lila Acheson Wallace, Charles and Jessie Price, and David T Schiff Gifts, The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, Dolores Valvidia Hurlburt Bequest, Peco Foundation and Friends of Drawings and Prints Gifts, and funds from various donors, 2019