3-080-101 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

William Hall, 1886. Additional Info: The sitter was the co-founder of Aberdeen shipbuilders Hall Russell & Co. The firm made iron and steel ships, ranging from cargo vessels to warships and was founded in 1864. The firm was a partnership between James and William Hall, sons of Alexander; Thomas Russell, a Glasgow engineer, and John Cardno Couper of Sussex. Initially the company built engines and boilers but in 1868 produced its first ship, the iron steamer Kwang Tung. One of the company's first customers had been J T Rennie whose barque Umvoti was constructed in 1869. Over the years, Hall Russell built increasingly large cargo steamers for Rennie and Son. These included Ifafa of 1889(270 feet long) Insizwa of 1899(330 feet long) and Inanda of 1904 (370 feet long). This series culminated in the 386 feet long Intaba in 1910.