Decorated skiff backboards were often awarded as prizes at 19th-century Thames regattas. This mahogany backboard, painted with the City of London arms, is from the winning skiff at Greenwich Regatta, held on 26 July 1852. It was won by John Griffiths of Greenwich, who later served in the Royal Navy as a Gunner’s Mate and then as a Boatman until 1871.