An English squadron getting under way by Francis Swaine, circa late 1740s. Repro ID: BHC1050. ©National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, LondonMarine painting in England became well established in the early part of the 18th century. The impetus came from the van de Velde studio and artists such as Peter Monamy, as well as from a growing sense of national identity. The visual imagery of the sea became increasingly meaningful and important for artists and their patrons. Samuel Scott, as well as producing landscapes and views of the Thames, also painted naval actions, notably for Admiral Lord Anson and the 4th Earl of Sandwich.

Charles Brooking's paintings, although done in wartime, often included both naval and merchant ships, either at sea or safely anchored off the English coast.

In the 1740s, Monamy contributed marine paintings to the decorations of London’s Vauxhall pleasure gardens. However, public art exhibitions only began in 1760 and 1761, with the establishment in London of the Society of Artists of Great Britain and the Free Society of Artists. At these, Francis Swaine was the most frequent exhibitor of marine paintings.