Thomas Rose Miles was a British artist predominantly known for his energetic marine scenes.

Trawlers precariously heeling battered by rolling waves, lifeboats struggling atop treacherous breakers, crews lost and stricken, ejected from schooners. Thomas Rose Miles was obsessed with seaborne drama, each theatrical scene conjured from his active mind. Described as “probably the best nineteenth-century marine artist at painting this subject”, his legacy is a triumphant one.

Born in landlocked Birmingham, it’s unclear when his fascination for seafaring began. Perhaps, like many boys of his generation, he gained an interest through fiction, captivated by the tales of Moby Dick and other equally gripping adventures. Storms were his raison d’etre - wild conditions that could tear a sail to shreds. Masses of water towering over hapless fishermen as glowering clouds dip low on their approach.

He was apparently self-taught, although undertook various study trips including to the Netherlands. The Dutch have a rich heritage of maritime painting and undoubtedly inspired him. He painted views across the British Isles - from the Isle of Wight to Galway Bay and from Cornwall to Guernsey. It’s not known whether he visited every location as the coastlines are usually in miniature. But in each rendering of a hostile sea, he captured its devastation with equal aplomb. 

Here, in this piece from around 1870, five desperate fishermen cling to a weathered vessel following an almighty storm. Its oars are redundant amid turbulent conditions. Further on, the main sail of a stranded boat has been wrecked by gusts - its crew thrown overboard. A glimmer of hope arrives in the form of daybreak.

Thomas Rose Miles exhibited several works at London’s Royal Academy and also at the Royal Society of British Artists. He’s represented in numerous public collections including Bristol Museum & Art Gallery and the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom.

Exhibited

Royal Academy, Royal Society of British Artists.

Public Collections

Bristol Museum & Art Gallery, Defence Academy of the United Kingdom, Guernsey Museum & Art Gallery, Isle of Wight Council Heritage Service, Manx Museum, Southwark Heritage Centre, Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens, The Dick Institute, The Old Customs House in Lymington.

Timeline

1844

Born in Birmingham, England, to Thomas Rose Miles, a clerk in a glass warehouse, and Mary Jane Miles (nee Turner).

1867

Married Elizabeth Leech at St Pancras Parish Church.

1870

Travelled to the Netherlands.

1871

Lived in Kentish Town, London with his wife and two children. Occupation recorded as ‘Marine Artist’.

1877

Debuted at the Royal Academy with ‘Corteen Bay, Connemara’.
Lived at Chalcot Crescent, Primrose Hill, London.

1880

Lived at Charlotte Street, London.

1881

Lived in Kentish Town, London with his wife and six children. Occupation recorded as ‘Painter’.

1882

Lived at Camden Road, London.

1888

Lived at Francis Street, London.

1891

Lived in St George, Hanover Square, London with his wife and six children. Occupation recorded as ‘Marine Painter’. Lived next to the landscape painter, John Horace Hooper (1851-1906).

1901

Lived in Lambeth, London, with his wife and three children. Occupation recorded as ‘Marine Painter’. His daughter, Florence Rose Miles, is recorded as working as a ‘Landscape Painter’.

1911

Lived in Lambeth, London, with his wife and two children. Occupation recorded as ‘Artist. Marine Painter’.

1916

Died in Lambeth, London.