Representing the Battle of Trafalgar, this coloured drypoint shows action between the British Royal Navy and the fleets of France and Spain. On the left, the bow of the British Leviathan is engulfed with smoke, as the neighbouring Nuestra Señora de la Santísima approaches the British ships Neptune and Africa. Outlines of additional ships are suggested in the distance, and on the far right the French and Spanish ships Heros and Santo Augustino are involved in the fray. A splash of water rises from the foreground. Hand-coloured.; Signed by artist.

The work is inscribed “Wyllie to Admiral Donaldson 1930.” Admiral Leonard Andrew Boyd Donaldson was promoted to the rank of Vice-Admiral on 23 May, 1930. The archives hold two albums of personal snapshots ands postcards relating to Admiral Donaldson’s career (ALB0010, ALB0937).

W. L. Wyllie (1851-1931) was a British Marine artist. Born in London, Wyllie painted, drew, and etched Thames scenes throughout his life. He moved to Portsmouth in 1907, where he continued working, supported the restoration of the Victory and painted the Trafalgar Panorama. Early in his career Wyllie was an illustrator for The Graphic, and he became a member of the Royal Academy in 1907.