Clarkson Stanfield (1793-1867)

Clarkson Stanfield's knowledge of marine subjects began at the age of fifteen when he was impressed into service for the Royal Navy. After returning to London, he worked at several theaters as a scenery painter and developed large moving panoramic paintings for the theater. At the same time, Stanfield developed his skills at easel painting, with a particular interest in marine subjects. He became a close friend of Dickens and despite having abandoned scenery painting in the 1830s, happily contributed scenic designs for Dickens's amateur theatricals, such as The Frozen Deep. Stanfield contributed illustrations to several of Dickens's Christmas books.