(Updated, April 2024) Technique includes engraving. This is a design for a monument on the heights of Greenwich Park to commemorate the naval heroes and victories of the French Wars from 1793 on - but excluding Trafalgar, which it predates. It includes a statue of Nelson, among others, but it was never built.

Such a proposal for a naval monument was first made in 1798-99 following the Battle of the Nile and a subscription was launched for it, the most spectacular option being suggested in an illustrated pamphlet submitted by the sculptor John Flaxman entitled 'A Letter to the Committee for raising the Naval Pillar, under the Patronage of His Royal Highness the Duke of Clarence' (1799). This proposed a colossal statue of 'Britannia by Divine Providence Triumphant' to be erected on Greenwich Hill alongside the Royal Observatory and overlooking the Thames and Royal Hospital for Seamen (now the Old Royal Naval College). It was illustrated by two images engraved by William Blake, one of the statue itself and the other of how it would look seen from the north bank of the Thames between the domes of the Hospital. Flaxman also made a large clay modello for it, today in Sir John Soane's Museum, but neither his scheme nor later alternative proposals (of which this print shows one) were ever executed although, in 1815, Parliament voted money for completion of such a 'Naval Pillar' to commemorate the victories of the recently ended French wars.

Last known mention of this was in 1825 when, as part of wider proposals for redevelopment of Greenwich, the Hospital secretary, Edward Hawke Locker, suggested that the main road east from the town be relocated south of the Queen's House and the Pillar placed at the centre of modern Romney Road (which such a change of route would have replaced). However, while his secondary suggestions for improvement of the town centre went ahead, those regarding Romney Road and the Hospital site itself did not.

It has now (2024) become apparent that previous assumption that Elsam's monument was intended for the same site as Flaxman's was wrong. Elsam, an architect, exhibited his 'Design for the naval pillar - one tree Hill [sic] Greenwich Park' at the Royal Academy summer exhibition 1804 (no. 875) and this print appears to have been published at the same time to help promote the idea. Now this has been noted, it more clearly accounts for the relative position of Greenwich Hospital, shown in the right background. At the time One-Tree Hill was, as it remains, a famous and popular wooded viewing point over Greenwich and London. This scheme would have entirely changed its nature and probably faced wide opposition if pursued beyond concept stage.

Flaxman's 'Britannia' project was briefly revisited, with suggestions for other Thames-side positions as a possible merchant service monument after the First World War, in an article that Arthur Bolton, Curator of Sir John Soane's Museum, was invited to submit to 'The Spectator' of 16 November 1918 (pp. 544-46). There is a copy of Flaxman's 1799 pamphlet in the NMM Library.

In 1930 Robert Tait-Mackenzie’s bronze statue of Major General James Wolfe was placed in the position on Greenwich Hill suggested for the naval monument by Flaxman, as a gift from the people of Canada. ‘The immortal Wolfe’ was a hero of Nelson’s - who referred to him that way - for his capture of Quebec in 1759, and his death there: he grew up in Greenwich and his body was returned from Quebec and buried in the family vault of the parish church of St Alfege, where it still lies. By coincidence, his funeral took place on the evening of 20 November 1759, at the same time as Admiral Hawke was defeating the French at the Battle of Quiberon Bay - the last triumph of 'the year of victories' (the others being, on land, at Minden and at sea, Boscawen's victory off Lagos, Portugal).