BHC1059

A small shipyard on the Thames Long Caption: A mid 8th century scene viewed from the river of a small Thames-side shipyard and associated buildings. Two ships are shown under construction in the yard, one in a wet dock and the other a dry dock. Such small yards were privately owned, and produced coastal craft and merchant ships. Some received contracts to build brigs and sloops for the navy, allowing the naval dockyards to concentrate on the construction of larger ships. Francis Holman was an important 18th century artist who often depicted such scenes of the working river. This painting is unusual however because the ship on the right is probably a royal yacht. The yard is flying the royal standard and the small crowd on the shore has gathered to greet members of the royal family as they come to view the yacht under construction. Credit line: © National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London Object: BHC1059 Artist: Francis Holman Date: 1760-1790 Medium: oil on canvas Size: 875 mm x 1450 mm Click here to buy a bespoke print of this image.