Black-hulled and a full complement of cruising canvas aloft, LIRIS shows her artisan lines in this top level work by Willis. A significantly historic yacht, she has connections to several prominent names from this grand era of yacht racing. Most importantly, she is the first yacht by American designer William Gardner. Freshly returned from his privileged education at the Royal Naval College in Greenwich, England, Gardner went head-on into competition with the established masters Edward Burgess and A. Cary Smith. The results: LIRIS won 3 1st, 4 2nd, 3 3rd and 1 4th in her 11 starts her inaugural year against 12 competitors in the 40' waterline class.

Built in the Bay Ridge, Long Island yard of Samuel Ayers & Son in 1889 from Gardner’s design, she was commissioned by misters Colgate Hoyt and Charles W. Wetmore of the Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club, and partner Samuel Mather of Cleveland. Their goal was to have a first class racing yacht which had every livable amenity aboard. Her main saloon would sit eight at the specially designed table, which would break down to be run ashore along with the other non-essentials when she raced.

The yacht proudly flies the American yachting ensign and private signal of Clifford B. Hendricks of the Larchmont Yacht Club of New York. Upon the water of Long Island Sound, it is believed to be Mamaroneck Lighthouse at the visible headland. LIRIS makes good purpose of her more than 3600 sq. ft. of sail. Quite impressive, since LIRIS was the first American yacht to employ hollow spars. Hendricks purchased the yacht in the 1890s, and sold her to Robert & George Barrie in 1900, who re-rigged her as a ketch. Gardner actually was inspired from observing “Itchen boats” in Southampton, and improved upon their design for the larger racing yacht class. As mentioned this was his first yacht; he would design more than 100 over 50 years.

Black-hulled and spreading the most canvas of any schooner ever, nearly an acre at 43,000 square feet of sail, the THOMAS W. LAWSON was the only seven-masted schooner ever constructed; built by the Fore River Ship & Engine Building Company of Quincy, Mass.. While a impressive presence for the Coastwise Transportation Company of Boston. Mass., the designer, noted marine architect B.B. Crowningshield of Boston, later admitted that her length-to-breadth ratio at 360'-to-50' was out of keeping with her rig, especially since she was steel and not wood. Her three desks running her entire length, accessed through six cargo hatches, allowed for a massive 7500-ton capacity.

Willis presents the schooner in a crisp port broadside with all sails up. Part of the ship’s lore focused on what to call her masts; the most widely accepted version has them as: fore, main, mizzen, pusher, driver, jigger, and spanker. Her crew called them whimsically after the days of the week. She required only a 15-man crew plus a captain, since much of her rig was activated with steam-driven hoists and she had a electric generator onboard for other instruments and lighting.

Atop the masts where Willis has luffed silk sails are a commercial houseflag, a government pennant and the American Merchant Naval Ensign. This is an extremely well detailed and rare work by the artist, most likely a commission commemorating her new venture as an oil carrier for the Sun Oil Company which had just signed a 5-year charter for the schooner. In a most unfortunate first Transatlantic crossing, high seas, her top-heavy design, and possibly the internal tide of the oil cargo moving within caused the THOMAS W. LAWSON to be lost in early December 1907 off the coast of the Sicily Isles. Like her namesake, a noted Boston stock-market entrepreneur and professional gambler who had invested heavily in her construction, the schooner had wagered and lost. Willis captured her striking profile mere months before she was gone.