# Life Saving Patrol

**Edward Moran** (born Bolton, England 1829-died New York City 1901)  
ca. 1893  
oil on canvas  
overall: 36 1/8 x 54 1/2 in. (91.6 x 138.4 cm)

Courtesy of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, 1925.12.3. [The museum's record](https://americanart.si.edu/collections/search/artwork/?id=17760).

## About this work

Many of Edward Moran’s paintings show powerful scenes of shipwrecks and storms that emphasize the struggle between man and nature. In Life Saving Patrol, however, the sea and the sky appear relatively calm. The dramatic scale of the lifeguard against the moonlit water suggests a balance of power between the ocean and the brave men who risk their lives to rescue its victims.

_Text from the Smithsonian American Art Museum._

Edward Moran painted this in about 1893, aged 64. It is now at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, DC.

### How it was made

- **Oil paint.** Pigment ground in a drying oil, usually linseed. It dries slowly, so painters could blend on the canvas, build up thin translucent glazes, and rework a picture over weeks. Canvas replaced wooden panels in the 1500s because it is lighter and can be rolled.

### [Edward Moran](https://www.ochreeditions.com/artists/edward-moran)

born Bolton, England 1829-died New York City 1901

## Facts

- Type: Painting
- The artist was 64
- Real size: about 36 × 54 in (92 × 138 cm). The original is larger than our largest print, 16 × 20 in, so every print is a reduction.
- Century: 19th century
- Subjects: Boats and boating, Night, Moon, Outer space, Occupations, Time, Lifeguard, Waterscapes
- Colour: black
- Rights: public domain (CC0 1.0); free to use for any purpose.

## Get it

- Free download, full resolution: https://img.ochreeditions.com/m/1872.jpg?dl=1
- Image: https://img.ochreeditions.com/a/1872/1920.jpg
- Giclée reproduction on Hahnemühle Photo Rag: 8 × 10 in $28; 11 × 14 in $38; 12 × 16 in $42; 16 × 20 in $56
- Framed reproduction: 8 × 10 in $78; 11 × 14 in $98; 12 × 16 in $108; 16 × 20 in $138
- Canvas reproduction: 8 × 10 in $58; 11 × 14 in $72; 12 × 16 in $79; 16 × 20 in $98
- Print-ready file: 8 × 10 in $2; 11 × 14 in $2; 12 × 16 in $3; 16 × 20 in $3

Sizes stop where the museum's file would print below 150 pixels per inch. Everything sold is a reproduction, made to order. [Order a print](https://www.ochreeditions.com/art/life-saving-patrol-si-saam-1925-12-3).