Alabama Leaving Table Bay
Provenance :
Literature : cf. Frank Bradlow (1967) Thomas Bowler: His life and work, Cape Town: A.A. Balkema. A similar example is illustrated on page 120, catalogue number 115. Present owner: William Fehr Collection, Rust en Vreugd.
Notes : The Confederate raider, The Alabama, visited Cape Town in 1863 and 1864, during the American Civil War, for the purpose of taking on provisions and refitting. Her visits drew large crowds and much public interest in this vessel and her charismatic Captain, Raphael Semmes. Captain Green relates in Africana Notes and News that Bowler's youngest daughter narrowly missed being named 'Alabama'!1
1. ibid, page 55.
