S.S. Jerseymoor
Edward Alexander Wadsworth British
Not on view
After he returned from the Mediterranean, Wadsworth became involved in the "dazzle ships" project. Dazzle camouflage was developed in 1917 by Norman Wilkinson, a British academic marine artist and Royal Navy lieutenant commander, to counter torpedo attacks by German U-boats, which had sunk numerous Allied warships and passenger ships (including approximately 925 British ships in a period of just nine months, averaging twenty-three ships a week). The dazzle system involved multicolored optical patterns applied to warships to disorient the German submarines that patrolled British waters. Wadsworth did not create the designs but was one of ten lieutenants who supervised their application to over two thousand vessels, dubbed "dazzle ships." The bold patterns, which recalled Wadsworth’s earlier Vorticist work, can be seen in these woodcuts inspired by the artist’s experiences.
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