Artwork by Charles Vickery

(from thematthewsgallery.com)

Vickery is best known for and will be most remembered for is his ability to paint the infinite moods of water. But what initially stumps everyone is how this talent and passion for the sea could come from a man who lived so far from it.Born in Hinsdale, Illinois in 1913, his talent was obvious at an early age. He studied at the Art Institute of Chicago and the American Academy of Fine Art, but he often credited Lake Michigan as being his greatest instructor. The inspiration it provided and the lessons it taught him were far more meaningful to him than the study of tiresome fundamentalsHe believed constant observation of the subject is as essential for the experienced artist as it is for the beginner. “Going to the source” was absolutely critical. Capturing the elusive essence of the sea is not something you can do by looking at photographs.When he opened his first art studio in Western Springs, IL in 1937, his work was highly experimental and paintings sold for as little as five dollars or, in some cases, a dish of ice cream. Early on, he supported himself as a surveyor’s assistant, a silkscreen operator, a mail clerk and a woodworker.The early days found him “along the shores of Lake Michigan living in a tent and eating peanut butter sandwiches,” the artist once said. “Many hours and many years were spent in all kinds of weather studying wave actions and the color of sky and water.”In 1951 Eleanor Jewitt, a respected art critic for the Chicago Tribune, first discovered his ability. He was greatly encouraged by her reviews. Similar praise would follow, and before long, he was regarded as one of the finest seascape artists of our time.

Assassin's Creed: Black Flag artwork

On the 3rd of July, 1716, Governor Alexander Spotswood in Virginia would write his complaints of pirates in the Bahamas to the Commissioners of Trade.

In his letter, his complaint regarded the island of New Providence, Nassau in particular where “a Nest of Pyrates are endeavoring to establish themselves” and that the overall lack of a British presence controlling the area was to blame. In 1706 a fleet consisting of French and Spaniards had assaulted Nassau, leaving it abandoned in the aftermath and devoid of British presence, and shortly afterwards English privateers would use it as a base of operations during the War of Spanish Succession. 

Nassau became the infamous pirate haven shortly after 1713, as many privateers were out of work as the War of Spanish Succession had drawn to a close, and for the last three years prior to Spotswood’s letter, Nassau thrived for smugglers and outlaws. Notable pirates such as Benjamin Hornigold, Samuel Bellamy, Henry Jennings, and Charles Vane had operated out of Nassau by this point. 

Despite his complaints about Nassau’s state of being, Spotswood wouldn’t receive a response for almost an entire year. Eventually in 1718, Governor Woods Rogers would be appointed to the island by England finally solving Spotswood’s complaint. As Rogers would introduce the King’s Pardon, leading to Nassau losing it’s infamous glory as a ‘pirate haven,’ and seeing a decline in piracy in general throughout the Caribbean.