Oil painting. The painting portrays the initial establishment of a contact between peoples of different cultures; the British Navy and the inhabitants of Middleburg in the Friendly Islands. Captain Cook is being taken ashore while his ship moors off the coast. An inhabitant of the islands is holding aloft a branch to symbolise peaceful intent to the crew. The inhabitants are depicted as curious and welcoming. The painting powerfully symbolises the moment from which an exchange of cultures may take place.