I am looking for help in identifying this steamer, which comes from a recently acquired glass plate negative. The rest of the glass plates I have from the same collection are all from the River Thames circa 1890/1895. The caption with the slide said the paddler was passing the bows of a wrecked steamer the "Bretagne". However the only wreck of this name I can find is inconsistent with the location of the Thames and also the date is wrong. So, is this another Bretagne, or the same vessel encountering a different mishap, and what is the paddler. Is it a London Steamboat Company vessel and if so which one? Does the house flag flying from her mast give any clues? Any information on the above paddler will be welcome.
Can you help?
Please email me at tom.lee@virgin.net if you have any suggestions.
Update 31 May 2007: George Robinson of the Riversea website advises that the Bretagne above was the steam yacht BRETAGNE built in USA in 1881, 636grt, 214.6 feet for a French owner but owned in London from 1891 and sank after a collision off Blackwall on 18/6/1892, later raised and broken up ... so that would give a 'most likely' date of 1892 for the paddler. Thanks George.