William H. Yorke Biography

Born in Canada in 1817 in St. John's New Brunswick. In 1848 he had a son, William Howard York, whom he taught to paint and with whom he collaborated on ship paintings until 1870 when their relationship soured for unknown reasons . Speculation was that the 22 year old artist wanted to go out on his own, rather than work with his father. By 1850 Yorke and son had moved to Liverpool. When they separated the elder Yorke set sail for America, where he lived and painted until his death.

He lived on the East Coast aboard his sailboat, which later sank in a collision with a steamboat. The accident caused him to lose an eye, and much impoverished he lived in a shanty on a canal boat in Brooklyn. Eventually the owner of the steamboat provided lodging for him and his family on a boat at Staten Island. His last known painting “Statue of Liberty” was executed around 1888. With the exception of his paintings, William Gay Yorke then slipped into the mysteries of eternity.

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