John Ross Murphy, Marine Painter

(b. 1827, d.1892)

Marine Painter

From A Dictionary of Irish Artists 1913

Was born on the 14th July, 1827. He spent his early life at sea, and rose to the command of an Indiaman. He was always fond of painting, and on his retirement he took lessons from Clarkson Stanfield and from Edmund Gill, the painter of waterfalls. He painted with Edwin Hayes and John Faulkner in Dublin, and exhibited in the Royal Hibernian Academy from 1877 to 1884, and in Liverpool. His works were chiefly sea-pieces and rocky coast-scenes. He died on the 6th September, 1892. [See footnote]

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LibraryIreland.com footnote on John Ross Murphy

John Ross Murphy was a Customs Officer in London from 1851. This is confirmed by the English Censuses of 1851 and 1861. In 1854, 1857, 1861 and 1862, the birth years of his children, his occupation is given as Customs Officer on the certificates and as all were born in London he would have been based there. He retired from the service prior to 1874 when he moved back to Ireland and was living with his brother, Joseph, in Castlemount Villa, Castleknock, Dublin. He is not recorded in the 1871 Census.

Therefore, his time at sea would have been limited to about 10 years assuming he started at age 14. This would indicate that he would have been in command of an Indiaman at about age 20 to 23. Royal Navy captains during this era were often within this age group.