Study of a squadron at sea

This pencil sketch depicts a squadron at sea. The ships depicted have been identified as 'Rodney' (1833), 'Canopus' (1798), 'St Vincent' (1815), 'Albion' (1842), 'Serpent' (1832), 'Queen' (1839), 'Trafalgar' (1841) and 'Vanguard' (1835). This suggests that the scene depicted dates from between 1841 (when the 'Trafalgar' was launched) and 1854 (when the 'St Vincent' became a troopship). The drawing has previously been dated to 1867, but this seems unlikely given the dates of the ships and in lilght of evidence suggesting that the artist died in 1865.