The handsome vessel portrayed in this work by Thomas Willis, is the magnificent steam yacht WHITE HEATHER, later known more famously as APACHE. In this view, WHITE HEATHER flies the American ensign and the burgee of the New York Yacht Club, dating this work to around 1901 when she was purchased by Harrison Drummond a well-known member of the NYYC. Drummond's private signal is likely the swallowtail pennant depicted on the mainmast.
WHITE HEATHER was built by the prestigious firm of John Reid and Company at Glasgow in 1890 for R. Cecil Leigh of the Royal Albert Yacht Club. At 443 tons x 198'L x 28.2'B x 13'D, WHITE HEATHER was one of the largest sailing yachts of her time. She spent much of her career cruising the Mediterranean where she was widely praised for her size and elegance. In 1904 she was purchased by Edmond Randolph of New York who changed her name to APACHE.
As APACHE, she raced in the 1905 Kaiser Cup from New York to England. The winds were not strong enough to support her lofty bark rig and she finished last, several days after the rest of the fleet. She is notable as the first yacht of record to be equipped with a Marconi radio, which is said to have filled an entire stateroom.
The silkwork pictures created by Thomas Willis are highly sought after as unique examples of Americana and are unique due to their specialized Maritime subject matter. This work from the turn of the 20th century is unusually large for the artist and reflective of Willis' most accomplished period, a time when the artist was receiving commissions from important ship owners throughout the Eastern Seaboard.
