THE SPORT OF ROWING Collection of the Dukes of Richmond, The Goodwood Estate Company Limited Antonio Canaletto, The Thames and the City of London from Richmond House (detail), 1747 Oil on canvas, 41⅜ x 46¼” (105 x 117.5cm) The famous Venetian urban landscape painter lived in London from 1746 to 1755. Of the numerous views of the Thames he painted, this one shows a typical day with two ceremonial barges passing by and numerous watermen plying their trade. In the foreground, Richmond House, situated in Whitehall, was the newly constructed residence of the 2nd Duke of Richmond. It was destroyed by fire in 1791. Watermen and Lightermen52 of the River Thames” included the following language: “Whereas heretofore, the lack of good government and due order amongst wher- rymen and watermen exercising, using and occupying rowing upon the Thames, there have divers misfortunes and mischances happened to a great number of the King’s and Queen’s subjects, as well as to the no- bility, as to the common people, that have passed and repassed and been carried by water, by reason of the rude, ignorant and unskillful number of watermen, which for 52 Lightermen were carriers of goods and pas- sengers from ship to shore and back, “lighten- ing” a heavily-laden ship of a portion of its cargo while moored offshore in the harbor so it could approach the wharves in shallower water. the most part have been masterless men and single men, of all kinds of occupations and faculties, which do work at their own hands, and many boys, being of small age, and of little skill, and being persons out of the rule and obedience of any honest master and governor, and do for the most part of their time use dicing and carding and other un- lawful games, to the great and evil example of other such like, practicing robberies and felonies and other evil detestable facts, and yet do repair again to their former trade of rowing . . . ”53 . . . and on and on. With that act of Parliament, the tradi- tional medieval avocation of waterman be- 53 Qtd. by Cleaver, p. 23 28
